Light 'Em Up
by Lady Lanera
Summary: Someone is hunting Death Eaters.
1. First Victim

**Disclaimer: **_Harry Potter _is owned by J.K. Rowling, of course.

**A/N: **This story is set after a few years after _Deathly Hallow_s. I'm just giving you a taste for now.

A well-dressed couple suddenly appeared in Diagon Alley. Passersby barely noticed their appearance, carrying on as if it wasn't anything new. Before they continued to their destination, the woman played with her ruffled skirt on her red dress in an attempt of supposedly fixing it. Her male companion wore a look of impatience as he looked on, but was clearly doing his best to keep his annoyance hidden from her. With her skirt fixed to her liking once more, the couple quickly headed down the cobblestone street, her heels clicking against it prior to them ducking into a nearby restaurant. The woman smiled towards the maître d', who had immediately looked up when they entered.

"Good evening. Welcome to Sheer. Your names?" inquired the maître d'.

"Severus Snape," replied the tall, raven-haired man. "I placed my reservations a year ago. Therefore, you should have no trouble finding it."

The headwaiter forced a polite smile. "Of course, sir." He then glanced down at his book, looking back up a moment later. "If you'll follow me, then." He grabbed two menus and proceeded towards a table in back. "We have some fabulous items that I think you'll—"

"Thank you. That will be all for now," Severus stated coldly. He pointedly ignored the waiter's huff of annoyance before the man left.

"He was just doing his job, love," his wife said softly.

"Yes, and it was rather inadequate in my opinion," he commented, opening his menu and looking it over. "If I had wanted someone to drone on about their so-called specials, I'd have asked. Not be forced to listen to mindless drivel and have our time wasted needlessly." He frowned as his eyes passed over their choices. The few that there were. His frown deepened. For what he had paid just for his reservation, he would have thought the blasted restaurant would have at least a wide range of options. Clearly that was not the case.

"Severus?" He glanced at her over the lowered menu reluctantly. "Stop. It's perfect. I love it." She smiled, holding her hand out across the table for him. "Thank you." She squeezed his hand a moment later, rubbing her thumb gently against the back of his hand.

He felt himself relax slightly. He had wanted everything to be perfect for their anniversary. The stupid thing didn't really mean all that much to him, but he knew it did to her. He glanced back at his menu and sighed silently.

"Have you found anything yet?" he asked quietly.

"Well, their chicken salad sounds pretty good."

He held her warm brown eyes for a moment. "You have to be joking, Aurora." Annoyance flashed in his black eyes when she didn't respond. "I could have taken you to the Leaky Cauldron for _that_." And saved himself a paycheck or two.

"Fine." She twirled a curl around her finger as she looked over the menu. "What about the duck? Is that good enough?"

"Depends," he replied, taking a drink of his water. "Are you going to eat it or just pick at it like last time?" While he wanted her to enjoy their anniversary dinner, he also wanted her to eat. She had an annoying habit of either eating light or picking at her food whenever they went out to dinner.

"I don't know." She shrugged. "What are you going to have?"

"Rack of lamb," he answered, noticing her grimace instantly. "I didn't say _you_ had to eat it."

"Fine." She sighed. "What about fettuccine Alfredo?"

"Pasta?" He scoffed. "I might as well have made you dinner at home," he remarked.

"Well, I don't know, then, Severus." She huffed, reaching for her water and taking a sip.

He could feel the anger radiating off her. He let the silence surround them, taking a moment to collect himself and figure out his next move. He truly didn't want her pissed off with him on their anniversary. He glanced at the menu on the table, quickly trying to find a safe option—one that would be a good compromise for both of them.

"I believe they had some sort of grilled chicken option."

"Fine."

"Is it fine or are you saying 'fine' to shut me up, Aurora?" He held her eyes again.

"It's fine. Grilled chicken sounds wonderful." Her heart clearly wasn't in it, though.

He sighed, tossing down his napkin. He needed to get away before he said something truly spiteful towards her. He caught her look of surprise instantly.

"If the idiot returns while I'm away, please order for me," he requested, standing up to leave.

"All right," she said quietly, clearly apologetic as she fiddled with her necklace.

Without another word, he walked away from the table and headed for the restrooms. Why couldn't she eat normally when they went out to dinner? It wasn't as if he would have remarked that she was going to get fat or cost him too much money for indulging. Granted, he wasn't good around women, but he wasn't _that_ bad. He knew better than to ever say either thing.

He pushed open the door and walked into the restroom. Heading for the sink, he turned it on and splashed his face with cold water. A moment later, he hung his head. What difference did it truly make what she ate when they went out to dinner? At least she ate something. He then glanced at his reflection, his eyes darting to his trouser pocket.

His hand reached into his pocket before he pulled out a velvet box. He opened it soon after, glancing at the beautiful emerald-and-diamond bracelet inside. The familiar worries rushed to the forefront of his mind again. Would she even like it? Would she think it was too much? Would it even fit her wrist? He sighed, closing the box once more. He wanted everything to be perfect tonight. Yet, when it didn't go exactly according to his plan, he jumped down her throat about her food choice. It didn't matter what she ate. All that mattered was that they were there together. It was just a dinner. The bracelet was the treat, not that.

He shook his head slowly. Merlin, he was an idiot. He slid the box back into his pocket and turned to leave. He had a dinner to attend. He took a step towards the door.

Something pierced him in the back seconds later, causing him to tense up instinctively. He gasped at the initial sharp pain before everything quickly numbed. There was a toxin of some kind coated on the blade. Paralytic, he decided as he felt himself falling to his knees, his attacker slowly lowering him to the ground. His eyes darted towards the mirror, but no one was there. He felt the darkness rapidly settle in behind his eyes. His last thoughts were about his wife and daughter.


	2. Waiting Game

**A/N:** Just a short interlude before we get back to Snape. Thank you for reading. I truly appreciate all the favorites, alerts, and reviews. I live on reviews. :D

**Waiting Game**

Her heart beat rapidly in her chest as she paced in the lobby area of St. Mungo's. Severus had been there for at least an hour by her estimate. Didn't they know anything yet? She drummed her fingers against her side, her eyes darting about the room wildly for any sign of movement.

At the sight of her in-laws walking into the lobby with her daughter, Aurora kneeled down, picking her daughter up instantly and holding the crying five-year-old against her. She didn't recall asking anyone to bring Angel to St. Mungo's, but then again her mind was focused on her husband.

"Shh, love. It's okay," Aurora whispered, brushing her daughter's long blond curls back as Angel buried her tiny face into the crook of her mother's neck.

"What happened?" her mother-in-law asked, her dark calculating eyes fixed on Aurora. Everything about the woman screamed unpleasantness, not to mention a 'come hell or high water' attitude. She clearly seemed to be a woman who had lived a hard life, sunken cheeks and all.

"I don't know," Aurora answered quickly. A bit too quickly for her mother-in-law's liking, it seemed, when the older witch took a threatening step towards her.

"You have to know something, girl! You were with him, weren't you?" her mother-in-law snapped, glaring at her.

"El," her father-in-law softly said, touching the older witch's arm gently. He, too, had an air about him that stated his life wasn't ideal either, difficult and hard. His blue eyes held a bitter warmth to them that contrasted his long hooked nose, which had clear signs of being broken more than a few times over his life.

"Don't you 'El' me, Tobias Snape," his wife barked sharply. "This is our son we're discussing here." Her eyes darted back to Aurora. "What. Happened?"

"He went to the restroom and was attacked. That's all I know, Eileen. That's all anyone's told me so far." Aurora kissed her daughter's cheek as she felt her daughter's soft cries intensify.

"Excuse me?" A tall man with short brown hair in his early twenties walked up to them quietly. He cleared his throat softly. "I apologize for intruding, but I'm Auror Daniels." His light grey eyes darted to Aurora. "Mrs. Snape, I assume?"

"Yes." She frowned, rubbing her daughter's back gently.

Auror Daniels shifted his weight slightly as he glanced towards Tobias and Eileen Snape for a moment before returning to look at her. "Do you mind if we talk privately for a few moments, Mrs. Snape? There are a few questions I'd like to ask you about tonight."

Aurora sighed. She opened her mouth to protest, but promptly closed it. "Sure." She gently pulled herself back from her daughter. "Love, Mummy has to speak with this Auror for a few moments. About Daddy. Will you stay with Grandmum and Grandpa, and be a good girl for me?"

The little girl sniffled, staring at her with tear-filled black eyes. Rubbing her nose into her sleeve, she nodded slowly. She took a few steps back to her grandfather before wrapping her arms around him.

Aurora followed the Auror a few moments later to the other side of the room. She made sure that she stayed in Angel's line of sight, though. It hurt seeing her daughter cry.

"You were at the restaurant, Sheer, with your husband tonight?"

"Yes. It was our anniversary," she answered quietly.

"Did anyone know that you two were going to be there tonight?"

"Not that I'm aware. Severus made the plans." She then sighed, frowning. "I mean, his parents knew of course. They were watching Angel for us. But nobody else knew that, I think." She watched Auror Daniels nod slowly as the quill wrote down his notes for him.

"Does your husband have any enemies?"

She couldn't help but laugh sharply. "Do you know who he is, Daniels?" She shook her head slowly. "Of course he has enemies. Every living Death Eater wants him dead. And any former student of his for that matter." She caught his eyes narrowing and frowned. "He betrayed Voldemort and helped Harry Potter to defeat that monster. I take it that you weren't around here for that, though?"

"No, ma'am. I was attached to the Americas division during those years," he answered quietly.

"Lucky you. It's safe to say, though, my husband pissed off a lot of people, Daniels."

"Anyone in particular stand out in your mind?"

She shook her head. "No. It's been quiet lately. Since we're at peace finally."

"Did you notice anything unusual tonight? A person watching you two closely maybe?"

She glanced down, thinking for a moment before shaking her head again. "Nothing I can think of. I was just with my husband, trying to enjoy our anniversary."

"All right." Daniels sighed. "Now, I apologize for asking this, ma'am, but I spoke with a waiter at the restaurant earlier, and he mentioned that it seemed like you two were fighting."

"No. He was mistaken." She rubbed her silver wedding ring. "Severus was worried that it wouldn't be good enough for me. Our anniversary dinner. So, he was rather snarky and combative. He just wanted it to be perfect, Daniels. He gets a bit . . . obsessive at times over these things." She watched the Auror nod slowly.

"Has he ever assaulted you? Your daughter? During these 'combative' times, I mean?"

"No. Never. He'd rather die than hurt us." Aurora noticed his eyes narrow on her arm and quickly re-covered it with the shawl. "Do you have any more questions?"

"May I see your arm, ma'am?" he asked quietly.

She sighed heavily. "I'd rather you didn't, Daniels, but I suppose I have no choice. Do I?" She slowly lifted her arm away from the wrap and held her bruised and cut forearm out.

"Mind explaining those injuries to me, ma'am?" He glanced up at her face.

"I was brewing a potion when I added the wrong ingredient, resulting in a very powerful explosion. You can speak with Madam Pomfrey about it. She's put it into my medical file."

"What potion?"

"A mild sleeping draught." She shrugged. "A potion that my husband would say any second-year could brew." She laughed softly. "Now, was there anything else?"

Daniels shook his head. "No, ma'am. I'll be in touch, however." He bowed his head. "Thank you for your time, Mrs. Snape." He turned on his heels and silently walked away.

Her eyes followed him for a few moments before she drew in a slow breath. She then headed back to her daughter and in-laws to wait for a healer to speak with them.


	3. Blast from the Past

**Blast from the Past**

A sharp pinch to the inside of a nose produced a soft groan immediately. Soft giggles filled the room soon after. A tiny hand a few moments later reached across to the man's sallow face before the tiny fingers flicked the long hooked nose. More soft giggles erupted as the man groaned more and fought against the fatigue that kept his eyes closed. When the tiny hand slammed against his nose minutes later, he grabbed a hold of the little five-year-old who had hit him—his eyes finally open now—and glared darkly at her.

"MUMMY!" the little girl yelled, as if her dad glaring at her didn't bother her in the slightest. "I woke Daddy up!"

"Angel," he growled quietly.

The innocent-looking blond leaned forward to him, forcing her face to have the similar annoyed look he had. "Daddy," she growled back as she imitated her father, complete with glare and all.

"You're being very bad right now."

"Nuh-uh. I'm being very good right now," she argued. "I look just like you, Daddy. We'll ask Mummy when she comes out."

"Angel," he warned. "You know perfectly well what I mean."

"Do I, Daddy?" she replied, smirking at him with warm black eyes.

"You're a brat."

"I know, but I'm your brat, Daddy."

He sighed, wincing when he moved to sit up further on his cot. His eyes darted about the room to look for his wife. He frowned when the door to a side room opened a moment later to reveal her.

"Aurora." He watched his wife smile as she headed towards them.

"You're awake."

"You may thank your daughter," he replied quietly, glancing at the grinning little girl.

"My daughter? She mostly takes after you, Severus." His wife laughed, picking their daughter up before she sat down in the chair beside his cot with the little girl on her lap. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine." He didn't really feel fine, but he wasn't going to complain and state that he felt groggy. It wouldn't do any good after all. "Did they find my attacker?"

"No. Not yet." Aurora sighed. "Harry's waiting outside to speak with you, though. He might know something more than I do."

"Harry?" he repeated quietly. "As in Potter?"

"The very same. He's the Auror in charge of your case actually."

"Oh, how grand. My attacker will likely never be caught then with that idiot in charge," he drawled, crossing his arms.

"Severus," she scolded.

"What? You and I both know it's true."

"I'll just go get him." Rolling her eyes, she stood up and walked to the door with Angel on her hip. She leaned out into the hallway and motioned with her hand for Harry to come in.

Snape merely frowned. Of all the incompetent Aurors they could choose from, they just had to pick Potter. He glared when he caught the green-eyed man walk into his room. Potter. The bane of his existence. He caught the man's eyes dart to Aurora before he glanced back at Snape.

"Good evening, Headmaster."

Snape jerked his head just so the man would know he heard him, but remained quiet.

"How are you feeling?"

"Like I was stabbed in the back and subsequently poisoned, Mr. Potter. Yourself?" Snape replied in mock politeness.

"I see your warm personality is still intact, sir."

"Obviously."

Angel giggled loudly.

Harry sighed. "What can you tell me about your attacker? Their build? Physical description? Male or female?"

"They were under either an invisibility cloak," he gave Harry a pointed look there, "or magicked themselves invisible. I never saw them or even felt them. So, I'm afraid your questions will have no definitive answers."

"Damn," Harry mumbled. "We thought maybe you could tell us something to find them."

"And do all your work for you?" Snape drawled. "I take it then there was no physical evidence?"

"None. At any of the crime scenes."

"There was more than one crime scene?" Snape's brows furrowed.

"Yeah. Sheer where you were attacked, a hotel in London, and an alley in Paris. You're the only survivor so far."

"Who were the other two?"

"Rabastan Lestrange and Walden Macnair. Rabastan was killed in Paris. Walden in London."

"Stabbed in a similar manner I assume?"

"I wouldn't say that." Harry sighed. "According to your healer, you were stabbed between—"

"I know where I was stabbed, Potter," Snape interrupted. "What was different?"

"They were stabbed directly in between the vertebrae in that little spongy part. Your wound was an inch to the right of theirs. Not between the vertebrae. They also had numerous other places of trauma to parts of their body." Harry's eyes darted to Angel for a moment as he frowned.

"Explain."

"I'd rather not say in front of your daughter, sir."

Snape frowned. He truly didn't want his wife and daughter away from him right now. So, he nonverbally cast _Muffliato_ and crossed his arms. "Say it now, Potter."

"Certain parts of their anatomy were removed."

"In other words, they were castrated, Potter."

"Yes, sir." Harry winced slightly, turning a bit pale.

"Well, they'd certainly deserve it. I take it that based on the castration you're operating on the fact that the attacker is a female, yes?"

"That's the thought so far."

"And I take it the Ministry is looking heavily into women who were assaulted by Death Eaters?"

"Yes, sir." Harry sighed heavily, clearly feeling awkward.

"What is it, Potter?"

"We're trying to find out why your attacker stabbed you an inch to the right instead of how Lestrange and Macnair were stabbed."

"Don't beat around the bush, Potter. Ask your question like a man." He caught the flash of anger in Harry's eyes and waited.

"While in Voldemort's ranks, did you participate in any of the rapes or assaults that took place?"

"No." He heard Harry's loud exhale in relief and frowned. "However, I unfortunately witnessed a number of them. It was my task to kill the victims when the others had finished." He remained stoic under Harry's outraged look.

"But—"

"Potter, the Death Eaters were a group of murderers and rapists, not pickpockets and flashers. The majority of them enjoyed torturing others, inflicting pain, and tearing apart families. My killing the victims afterward was much more humane than to leave the poor people to be desecrated further. It was not as if I could save them once they were caught without getting myself killed in the process. Would you rather I had done that?"

"Fine," Harry snapped, gritting his teeth. "So, then you weren't attacked in that manner because whoever it is knows that you didn't assault women. Who would know that?"

"Dumbledore. Other Death Eaters," Snape replied with a shrug.

"What about the Order?"

"No. Only Dumbledore knew." He then frowned. "Actually, I'm mistaken. From the Order, only Dumbledore and Aurora knew." He was thankful to know that she couldn't hear the conversation.

Harry's eyes narrowed. "You don't think that she—?"

"Of course not, Potter," Snape snapped. "She'd sooner stab herself than stab me."

"You're certain?"

"Yes. Unlike your wife, mine doesn't make a habit of trying to kill me, Potter. Not to mention that she loves me for being my flawed sarcastic self, not for being a hero like your wife does."

"Snarky git," Harry grumbled under his breath as wrote down his notes. He then thumbed through the legal pad for a moment before a small dog Patronus appeared in the room.

"Another attack. Wiltshire. Lucius Malfoy. Fifty minutes ago." The silvery dog faded away after it delivered the message.

"How charming of Weasley to send that," Snape remarked dryly. "Perhaps he could have added if Lucius had lived or died. Unless he had run out of air by then, that was."

"We're supposed to talk like that. Makes the message heard faster."

"Makes you sound like you have a minute left of oxygen to me." Snape shrugged. "Do you have any more questions, Potter? Or may I live in peace without having to answer your asinine questions?"

"We'll be in touch."

"I certainly hope not." Snape watched the man head for the door before he sighed. "Wait, Potter. What sort of toxin was coated on the blade? I take it that was analyzed, was it not?"

"Yeah, it was, um," he flipped through his notes again "from a viper. Why?"

Snape blinked, forcing his face to remain neutral. He shrugged a moment later.

"Merely idle curiosity, Potter." He remained stone-faced under Harry's confused gaze. "Was there anything else?"

"No." Harry frowned. "Good night, sir." He quietly turned around and left the room.

Snape ended his _Muffliato_ and leaned back against his fluffy pillows. Viper venom. Could it be possible that she was alive after all these years? It'd certainly explain why he was alive and the others weren't. But—no. She died during the First Wizarding War. Dumbledore told him that when he woke up in the hospital wing several days later. Then again, Albus Dumbledore _was_ a manipulative bastard. He glanced at Aurora and frowned. If she was alive, then he needed to let Aurora in on that part of his past soon. A woman from his past meeting his wife would not go well for him. Especially those two meeting.

"Aurora?" He waited for her eyes to meet his. "Have I ever told you about Natalia Sirov?"

**A/N:** I just love cliffhangers, don't you? :D Tell me your thoughts.


	4. First Impressions

**First Impressions**

Snape attempted to pull himself up further onto his pillows and winced as he did. He supposed his pain potion was likely wearing off. However, he said nothing, merely waited for Aurora to answer.

"Natalia who?" she finally spoke several moments later.

"Natalia Sirov," he patiently repeated. He caught his daughter's eyes watching him curiously. No doubt, she was soaking every little detail they were saying into her innocent little mind. He frowned in response. It was definitely not a story for his little girl to hear. He had made a habit over the years to shield her from most unpleasantness. He didn't want his daughter to grow up like him quite frankly. "She was a," he paused as he searched for a word, "colleague of mine you could say." He noticed Aurora's eyes narrow instantly before she glanced down at their daughter. She understood. Good. He knew he had married her for a reason.

"Sweetheart, Mummy and Daddy need to talk with each other again. Just for Mummy and Daddy's ears only. You remember our deal?" The little girl nodded slowly with a clear look of disappointment. "Won't be long, love."

The five-year-old sighed loudly, her bottom lip out slightly. "You really don't have to, Mummy. I know who she is. She's one of Daddy's girlfriends."

Snape groaned silently. Why did his daughter have to take after him already? Why couldn't she have just slowly grown into her magic like every other magical child? He watched Aurora kiss the girl's forehead and sighed inwardly. That was not how he wanted her to find out about Natalia.

"What have Mummy and Daddy said about that, Celes?" his wife asked, using their daughter's nickname.

"Not to," answered the young girl. "But really, Mummy, it's nothing I don't know already."

"It's something your dad doesn't want you to know, though, love."

"Only cause he thinks it'll make me bad," the little girl argued.

"It's because your daddy loves you very much and wants you to stay his sweet innocent Angel until you're as old as Mummy."

"But, Mummy, I won't ever be _that_ old."

Snape closed his eyes immediately. There was his five-year-old daughter showing her age again. He reopened his eyes and watched Aurora shake her head.

"Oh, just play with your bear, brat," he quietly scolded, giving his daughter a look.

"You love me, Daddy."

"Sometimes."

She shook her head at once, her little blond curls bouncing adorably. "Always, Daddy."

He quickly cast _Muffliato_ around them and sighed.

"Was she right? Is this Natalia one of your old girlfriends?" Aurora asked quietly.

"No. I admit I slept with her, but I didn't love her in the slightest."

"You do know you don't have to protect my feelings, Severus, right? I can handle you being with someone before me."

He frowned before he glanced at her. "Yes, Aurora. I'm aware that you're not some delicate flower. However, I stand by my earlier words. I did not love her."

"Then, why didn't you ever tell me about her before now?"

He glanced up at the ceiling and counted for a few moments in his mind. It was hard to kill old habits, and his sarcasm was deeply engrained in him. "I didn't inform you because I didn't feel it was necessary. The last I had heard she had been killed. So, I let the past stay there."

"And now?"

"And now I figure that I should at least entertain the possibility that she faked her death. It is one plausible theory that could explain why I'm alive and the others are not."

"Oh. Because she loved you. Lovely."

He growled, glaring at Aurora. "No, you jealous witch. Neither one of us loved each other. In fact, the sex was more painful than pleasurable." He shook his head when he saw his wife satisfied nod. "Now, if you're done projecting your self-doubt, may I continue?"

"Yes, dear," Aurora replied with a forced smile.

"Thank you." He huffed. "Dumbledore introduced us. After I turned and became a double agent for him, he asked me to meet one of his associates at a rundown motel outside of Muggle London." His lips pinched together as he recalled that meeting, recounting it as the memory flashed before his eyes.

* * *

_In the pouring rain, twenty-year-old Severus Snape strode through the gravel parking lot towards room number 7 that was situated at the far end of the building, popping up his hood on his long black raincoat as he did. He sneered when he saw the crooked number on the chipped off painted door. This whole place looked like it belonged in Cokeworth, the pathetic Muggle town he had grown up in. His black eyes darted left then right before he knocked loudly against the metal. Hearing no reply, he slipped his wand into his hand, hidden by the long sleeves. He cast a silent Alohomora and easily slipped inside the room a moment later, closing the door behind him._

_His dark eyes darted about the darkened room. The bed clearly hadn't been touched, so whoever he was to meet hadn't tried to sleep. There were no bags littering the floor, so likely someone who didn't stay in one place long. His eyes passed over the nightstand and then the dresser, finding no clues. The remote for the telly hadn't even been touched. No lights were on. So either the associate wasn't here or he or she was playing hide-and-seek with him, a game he abhorred. He tensed when a knife suddenly was pressed against his throat, the blade digging in._

"_Find anything interesting?" a female voice asked directly behind him._

"_No," Snape replied, his mind already thinking of various ways to get out of this situation._

"_Who are you?" she demanded, pressing the blade further against his skin, a thin line of blood running down his throat now._

"_Severus Snape." He moved his neck slightly from the knife and winced. "And I'd appreciate it if you'd kindly remove that damn knife from my throat. I was asked to meet you."_

"_By whom?"_

"_Phoenix," Snape growled lowly, knowing that if she was an associate of Dumbledore's that she'd recognize the code name as his immediately. "Now, remove the damn knife." Reluctantly, the knife fell away a moment later. He quickly stepped back from her, holding a hand to his neck. He thankfully wasn't bleeding profusely. "Thank you."_

_She merely inclined her head, sheathing her blade. Her cold amber eyes passed over him slowly before she crossed her arms. "Good of him to send the one sensible man left on this planet," she remarked with a forced smile. "I think I would have regretted slitting your throat and spilling your blood, especially since you're of a dying breed, Severus." She purred his name._

_Paranoia had become his friend these past few months, allowing him to recognize how much of an open book he had been before. So when he frowned and shifted his weight slightly a moment later, he instantly chided himself. He had to throw her off kilter now, get her to back off. Relying on his sharp tongue, he struck his prey._

"_Unlike you, I have better things to do with my time than to watch some common whore like you pathetically attempt to seduce me." He brushed off her loud laugh. "In fact, I suggest you frequent the pubs if you require a shag that desperately." He raised a brow at her and looked at her distastefully. "I'd imagine the men would quite enjoy you before they discarded you on the floor," he sneered._

"_Ooh. Aren't we snarky?" She scoffed. "As if I'd ever shag you. I mean, if I wanted grease all over me, I'd cook me up some delicious bacon. It'd satisfy me better."_

_Snape clenched his jaw. "I was informed to meet with you tonight for some asinine reason. So, may we get on with it before we both die of boredom?"_

_She smiled. "Down to business we go." She quickly adopted a more formal and business-like tone. "I'm told that your, uh, boss is looking for some new blood, and I'd like you to introduce me to him. I'm certain that can't be too hard for you, considering you've yet to find someone to recruit in order to maintain your quota."_

"_You wish to meet him? Why?"_

_She shrugged. "I've got a thing for danger. What can I say?"_

_Snape frowned inwardly. She wanted to meet the Dark Lord? Honestly? Merlin, stupid came in all kinds nowadays._

"_And just what sort of meeting would you like me to arrange exactly?" he asked neutrally. If she wanted to get herself killed, then there had better be a damn good reason for it in his opinion. As it was, he was tired of watching people die lately._

_When she walked closer to him, he forced himself not to react to her closeness. He had a feeling that's what she was hoping for. He sneered at the feel of her hand suddenly clasping over his sleeved left forearm directly over his Dark Mark._

"_Oh, you know the sort," she purred._

"_You wish to join the Him?" Impossible. Had Dumbledore even met this woman before?_

"_Yeah. Gotta admit. That killing of Muggles really gets me going. You know what I mean?"_

_He snarled and yanked his arm back from her._

"_I'll consider your request," he spat._

"_Do."_

_He whirled around a moment later, Disapparating. He needed a shower to get the crazy off him. Merlin above. When he reappeared, he headed up to the castle with a frown. Why in the nine hell's had Dumbledore sent him to meet her? He soon found himself in front of the familiar oak door and knocked on it, walking into the Headmaster's office when he heard the soft 'enter.'_

"_Ah, Severus." Dumbledore's cheerfulness quickly vanished upon seeing Snape's face. "Is something the matter, my boy?"_

"_Why did you send me to meet her? She's an idiot." Snape's jaw clenched when Dumbledore chuckled. "She wishes for me to introduce her to Him."_

"_I'm aware." Dumbledore leaned back in his chair, completely relaxed._

"_Ah. I see." Snape scoffed, shaking his head. "You wish for her to become another spy because you don't trust me."_

"_No, my boy," Dumbledore stated fiercely, shaking his head. "I trust you completely."_

"_Then, why? Why did you send me to meet her?"_

"_Because I wished you to get to know each other, trust one another."_

"_Why?" Snape had a sickening feeling deep in his belly that he wouldn't like the answer._

"_Because you're going to work with each other as partners, Severus."_

"_I don't require a partner, Headmaster," Snape quietly enunciated, just barely keeping the hiss out of his voice. "In fact, I prefer to work alone."_

"_I'm aware. However, it is in the best interest of the boy, Severus, Lily's son you remember, that we have all available eyes and ears open. She will just be another pair of eyes and ears."_

_Snape gritted his teeth and stood rigid. How dare Dumbledore bring up that brat. A part of him wanted to leap across the desk and shake the older wizard to death. However, instead, he stood ramrod._

"_And if I refuse, Headmaster?"_

"_Then, I suppose I will need to speak with the Aurors concerning your actions as of late," Dumbledore replied with a carefree shrug._

_Snape drew in a sharp breath before he clenched his jaw even more. That bastard. If only he didn't need Dumbledore's protection. He inclined his head a moment later._

"_As you wish, Headmaster."_

"_Excellent, Severus," Dumbledore grinned. "Lemon drop, my boy?"_

_Snape forced a polite smile. "No thank you. If you'll excuse me?"_

"_Of course. Of course." The white-bearded wizard waved his hand to him. "I'll send word to her that you agree. Good night, Severus."_

"_Good night." Snape whirled around and swiftly strode out of the office. He wanted to scream. He wanted to snarl at a few first-years until they cried. He wanted to destroy every piece of crap Dumbledore held dear to him and break the older man. However, instead, Snape briskly walked through the opened portrait that guarded his rooms and promptly proceeded to get as drunk as he could to forget all of it. Puppet masters toying with their marionette. Dance, monkey. Dance._

_He was on his—oh, bugger he had lost count at this point—shot of Firewhiskey when his fireplace roared to life, a single piece of paper floating onto the floor. He frowned and summoned it. His eyes passed over the few words written sloppily. "See you tomorrow, partner. Natalia Sirov."_


	5. All is Fair in Love and War

**A/N: **A little more recollection about Natalia and some cuteness. Enjoy.

**All is Fair in Love and War**

Sitting further up on his cot after his retelling, Snape readjusted himself for the hundredth time with a sharp inhale. His whole back hurt, so clearly the potions were wearing off. What did he expect, though? He had been stabbed in the back and subsequently poisoned as a result. He noticed his wife lean forward then and quickly waved her off. He was fine.

"She sounds . . . interesting," Aurora said with a forced smile.

He folded his arms and snorted. "Oh? Just what part of her sounded interesting, hmm?"

If there was one thing that annoyed him to no end, it was his wife's constant insecurities with herself. While he knew her feelings were merely remnants left from her having a bitch of a mother that she was constantly trying to please and involving herself with men who didn't appreciate her in the slightest, it would become rather aggravating at times for him. If he was honest, he'd state that it was mostly because it'd show him a reflection of what he was like some days when he needed to hear her tell him that he was worth being loved. They honestly were made for each other.

Snape heard her scoff and watched her eyes roll. His eyes remained on her, though, until he saw her shoulders finally slump in defeat. He smirked instantly. That was what he thought.

"Fine," Aurora huffed, leaning back with an annoyed look on her face. His wife hated it when he caught her in a lie. "She's not interesting." She glared straight ahead, her eyes trained on the closed door. "She sounds like some concubine that Lucius would have in his basement."

"You're likely right about that. At least for our first meeting." He grimaced and rubbed his abdomen. He could use another pain potion about now, but he knew that it was better that the nurse didn't bring one in. It was too easy to become addicted to pain potions. "It was all a test of my reactions, however. She was rather fond of mind games I found."

"So, she wasn't so . . . you know?"

"Whorish? No." He shook his head. "It was the only time I can recall her ever coming onto me." He ran a hand through his hair and frowned. The memories propelled him into their second meeting, forcing him to relive it once more.

* * *

_He sighed loudly when he heard the brief, sharp knock. His dark eyes darted to the clock on the mantel. She was right on time, unfortunately. There went that wish. He flicked his wand at the closed door and permitted her to enter. He didn't even bother standing to greet her. After all, judging by her earlier actions, he knew she'd only end up using his standing as another way to grope him or worse._

_When Natalia walked in a moment later, he clenched his jaw in anticipation of the sure headache she'd give him. His eyes, however, narrowed at the sight of her professionalism. Her light brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and light makeup adorned her face. She wore a simple white blouse and a pair of black slacks. Had this been the same woman he met the day before?_

_She quickly strode across the room before she held her hand out._

"_Natalia Sirov," she stated softly, adopting a neutral tone to her voice. "I apologize for my actions and words yesterday at the hotel. I just wanted to learn what sort of man you are. It's a habit of mine, especially when I'm going to work with someone new."_

_He glanced at her hand briefly but refused to move._

"_How wonderful." He watched her then pull her hand back reluctantly, finally getting the hint that he wasn't going to shake. "So, what now? Perhaps an exercise of trust? Or share dirty little secrets that we'd tell no other?" he remarked dryly._

"_Actually, I was thinking that I could get you up to speed on the mission," she replied with a shrug. "But if you want to do a trust fall first, sure."_

_He growled, glaring at her. "Just tell me what's going on. And do try not to take too long, witch. I have a nasty habit myself, of hexing dunderheads like you."_

_She nodded sharply before drawing in a slow breath. "Understood." She then sat across from him, leaning forward with her hands in her lap. "Dumbledore wants another set of eyes and ears on the baddies. Not because he doesn't trust you, because he does. It was murder trying to get him to agree to you and me working together in fact since he knew you'd take it as an insult and think he didn't trust you. But, well, he wants another set so that we know that the Potters and Longbottoms are entirely safe. Not to mention, to make sure that you're good."_

"_I don't need a babysitter."_

"_Of course you don't. And I'm not looking to be one. Just, well, you need someone covering your back every now and then. Which is where I come in. Think of me as protection."_

"_I've done—"_

"_Well on your own up to this point, yeah, I know." She shook her head, scoffing. "That's why you ended up in the hospital wing last month with a bad case of the shakes, isn't it?"_

_He growled, glaring at her. "How do you know about that?" He hated it when others knew more than he did, especially when they weren't playing fair._

"_I did the same thing you did. I looked you up."_

"_My medical history is private," he pointed out with a low hiss._

"_So is mine," she shot back with a raised brow as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Yet it didn't stop you from looking at mine, did it? All is fair in war after all, you know?"_

_He clenched his jaw, but said nothing. She had a point unfortunately. He had looked up everything he could find on her, right down to her birth certificate._

"_Either way, judging by how adamant he was," she continued, "I'd imagine that you've got the Potters covered, so I'll take the Longbottoms. Of course before that can happen, I need to be brought before the Dark Lord. Hence my request yesterday."_

"_It's not some country club you can just join at will."_

"_Oh, I know." She laughed softly. "You've got to prove yourself first. Usually with either a big display of Muggle kills or else."_

_Perhaps she wasn't as big of an idiot as he had first thought. She at least knew she'd have to kill at some point. There were many new recruits who didn't realize that until after they had been initiated._

"_And I suppose you have that covered?" he remarked, smiling nastily at her. There was just something about her that unnerved him greatly. He couldn't put his finger on it._

"_Does Draught of Peace emit silver steam when brewed properly? Of course I do."_

* * *

At the feel of his daughter tugging on his arm, Snape quickly stopped his retelling and came back to himself. His brows furrowed on the little girl before he sighed. He knew that look all too well. He quickly cancelled his spell, allowing her to hear again.

"What, brat?" he gruffly said, giving her that familiar look of annoyance.

"You're taking too long, Daddy," complained the five-year-old girl. "You should skip to the good parts. Or else we're going to be here for-_ever_!" She exaggerated her last word as long as she could before flashing an innocent smile at her father.

He snorted. Long ago, he might have yelled and made her cry for that. But seeing as how she was _his_ daughter, he couldn't bear to make her cry. He had gotten soft. At least with his family that was.

"And just what good part do you believe I should say?" He heard Aurora laugh beside him, but didn't glance away from his daughter. He was glad that his wife at least could find some humor in this. Even thought a small part—like a really small part—of him found it just the tiniest bit cute.

His little girl shrugged her shoulders in response. "I don't know. Just hurry up. Cause I don't want to be Mummy's age by the time you get done with this."

"You're a mouthy little brat," he growled, glaring at his little girl. Her smile widened, though, as her little face lit up like Christmas lights. He felt his stomach drop at this sight. Experience had taught him over the years that when his daughter was smiling like that after his insulting her, he was always going to pay for it one way or another in the end.

"Good. Cause it means I take after my daddy then."

He facepalmed. Only his little girl would take that as a compliment. He then let his hand fall aside and glanced at Aurora. He couldn't help but give her the well-known 'help me' look.

"Come on, love. Let's let your daddy rest, okay?" She gently picked their squirming daughter up and held her so Angel could give her dad a quick kiss good night. His wife and daughter then settled onto a nearby cot. Well within his line of sight, which he was thankful for. It wasn't long before the family drifted asleep to the sounds of the beeps and blips.


	6. Similar Differences

**A/N:** Enjoy. :)

**Similar Differences**

Several days had past quietly in his small hospital room. He hadn't talked about Natalia since the other day, and his wife made no mentioning of being curious any longer either. In fact, their minds were on other things it seemed. His was obviously on his health and doing everything he could to get back to work. But what his wife was thinking so intently about was anyone's guess really, he thought as he'd glance at his wife every now and then.

Leaning forward and suppressing a quick grimace from the resulting pain in his lower back, Snape grabbed the _Daily Prophet_ from his tray and snapped it open. He caught his wife's eyes for a moment when she glanced at him to see what he was doing, but she quickly glanced away and returned to writing in her journal.

Their daughter was spending some quality time with her Grandmum Eileen for the next few days, to which he was very thankful for. There was only so much of Eileen's fussing and Angel's blabbering he could take in a day. And he had surpassed his limit for both long ago.

He silently read about the latest attacks on former Death Eaters and shook his head in disbelief. Three more had been killed, found with their throats ripped open. So far, only he and Lucius had survived the stabbings. But from what Snape could gather, though, it seemed that Lucius was hanging on only by a thread.

His frown deepened while he read the statement from the Auror on Malfoy's case. According to Auror Daniels—a man Snape had never heard of before—the attacker had likely been spooked by something and was unable to finish the job. However, Snape disagreed. All evidence pointed to the fact that the attacker, brazen as he or she was, didn't care about others witnessing the attacks. Several of the murders occurred on busy streets, in fact, in daylight. That didn't seem to fit the profile in his mind.

"What's wrong?" Aurora asked suddenly, gaining his attention immediately.

He glanced at her and shook his head silently. "Nothing. Just these idiot Aurors haven't a clue and are spouting moronic ideas to anyone who'll listen. It makes me wonder if they're even trained properly with the level of ineptitude they're exhibiting currently."

"Oh?" she replied with a faint smile. "Well, go on then. Let's hear your theory."

"You know my theory," he quietly stated, moving his hand to his side and rubbing it.

"I know who you think is a suspect, but you've hardly explained how she's doing this or why. Not to mention, the fact that she's supposedly dead."

He huffed. "I stated that last I_ heard_ she was dead. I never saw her body, nor did I go to her funeral. So for all I know, Dumbledore could have been mistaken." He caught a brief flicker of something on her face he couldn't quite register but guessed was her 'yeah, sure he did' look and growled inwardly. "Fine. You're right. We both know better. He likely lied."

"Probably."

"The only reason I can think of why he would, though, is to allow her to start over with a new life. She had grown quite . . . sinister at the end there."

"Did she scare you? While you two were working together, I mean?"

"I wouldn't use the word 'scare.' It was more like unsettle." He exhaled and rubbed his chin silently for a moment. "The Dark Lord would order us to hunt Muggles together some nights. She would be choosy with hers. Get to know them at first to see what sort they were." He drew in a slow breath, pushing aside the troubling memories of his past. "On one occasion, I remember going to a pub with her near Manchester. She chatted up a man and used her attractiveness to wrap him around her finger. I stood a bit away from her, but I could hear the sweet promises she whispered to him. It made me uneasy to watch, especially when his hand slid up her skirt. Not because I wanted her, mind you, but because she let him. Just by looking at him, it was clear that he was the worst sort of Muggle filth. He didn't respect women. He deemed them to be playthings for him to shag whenever he wished, regardless if the woman agreed or not. At one point, Natalia had tried to move away from him, an act she'd do to see a man's reactions to rejection. This man grabbed her arm and yanked her to him. She didn't make a sound, only smiled and whispered how sexy it was of him to grab her like that."

"Stroked his ego in other words."

"Stroked something indeed," Snape stated quietly. "I followed her outside to make sure she was all right. I may not have liked her, but I had seen too often men like him before in my life. I found the arsehole all over her in an abandoned darkened alleyway, having her pinned against a wall as she told him to stop and let her go. I made my way over there to help her, but stopped when I saw the metal pipes above them suddenly burst and curl around his wrists to hold his hands above his head. The Muggle had no clue what was going on. I felt his fear coming off in waves, heard his tearful pleas for help, and did nothing but watch."

"What happened?"

"I watched her hold the Cruciatus on him until he couldn't even get a rasp out of his throat anymore. She mocked him openly when his body betrayed him as he wet himself. She told him that now he knew the fear his victims felt when he preyed on them. She ran her blade over him, cutting away his clothes. I just stood there and watched her. I couldn't move." He closed his eyes and sighed heavily. "Every man before she just killed outright with a simple thrust of her blade into the back. This man, though, she tortured and made him suffer. Truly suffer."

"Maybe she thought he deserved it, Severus?"

"No one deserves to die like that, Aurora." He frowned, running a hand through his long hair. "All the while she tortured him, she kept asking him if he understood now what a sick monster he was by taking away the right for his victims to choose to say no. She stopped when he finally said yes. The police found his body not long after, still in that alley, hanging naked in the air with the metal pipes twisted around his wrists. She had said to me afterwards that he'd serve as a reminder to filth like him what would happen to them if she found them."

Aurora's eyes softened before she leaned forward and grabbed his hand. "I know you'll disagree, but I would do the same as her. If only to make sure that he wouldn't have a chance to hurt our daughter sometime down the road," she quietly whispered.

"We're not judge and executioner, though. We don't get to decide who lives and dies."

"But as a society we have a right to make sure that our children are protected from people like him who would prey on our daughters and rip their innocence from them."

"With her actions, however justified she thought it was, the fact remains that she lowered herself to his monstrous level of filth that night, Aurora," he argued.

"She thought with her heart and wanted to help save the next innocent girl from that pain."

"How do you know that?" he replied, staring at her in disbelief. He couldn't believe that she thought that Natalia did the right thing. His wife was more levelheaded usually.

"Because it's what I would do." She sighed, closing her eyes and hanging her head. "I never want our daughter to feel that pain or fear that I did. I would do anything to protect her, just like you would, Severus. Sometimes that requires lowering yourself to his standard to right a wrong."

"No. Because the moment you lower yourself is the moment you lose." He shook his head. "Had it been you instead of her, I'd have had more respect with a death by Killing Curse instead of that."

"I'm sorry, but I just don't agree. You don't understand what a person goes through after such a brutal attack. Whatever in her past made her act that way with him—it sounds like she got her revenge."

His wife _was_ right about one thing. He'd give her that. He didn't understand what it felt like after being violated in such a way, having not gone through it himself. But he liked to think that if push came to shove that if given the chance his wife wouldn't have been like Natalia and done the same.

While fiercely protective of her loved ones like a mama bear at times, Aurora had a warm heart that compelled her to try to save others first, even if they had done her wrong earlier. As long as she believed a person truly learned a lesson, she'd give the person a second chance. It was one of the many reasons he had fallen in love with her actually. She kept giving him second chances over his stupid mistakes and stayed by his side when others wouldn't. No matter his sins, she'd forgive him for them eventually and remain beside him. She had more reason than anyone else in his life to leave, after all. What with the mind games about her dates he played in order to frustrate her, becoming a Death Eater, and treating her like crap for all the years prior to their dating. She should have left long ago, but she didn't. Even lost causes like him weren't considered lost for good in her mind. That was something he respected and loved about her. He had made the right choice by moving on with Aurora. He knew it.

"Earth to Severus," she softly sang, laughing when he met her warm brown eyes. "You looked out of it for a moment there. Everything all right?"

"Yeah. I'm just remembering why I married you."

"You mean instead of you marrying _Natalia_?" she asked, drawing out the name obnoxiously.

He frowned instantly. Some days she was as bad as he was at ruining moments. He caught her soft laugh of amusement and held his breath to keep from growling.

"I love you, too, Severus. But what brought about that thinking exactly?"

"You didn't give up on me," he answered simply.

"Good thing I'm stubborn then, isn't it?" She smiled before squeezing his hand gently. "How's your back doing today?"

"Fine." He sighed when he caught her sarcastic 'Oh, _really'_ look again. "It aches every now and then, but I'll live. I've had worse injuries." He saw the pain flash in her eyes momentarily and knew immediately that she had just recalled his near death in the Shrieking Shack. If he thought it'd help her, he'd remove that damn memory from her mind so she'd stop torturing herself over it. Five years had come and gone since then, and she still was as upset with herself for not being with him then as she was now. "Quit worrying, witch," he lightly scolded a moment later.

"Easy for you to say, Mr. Occlumency Barriers."

"I'm alive, aren't I? Merlin." He scoffed. "You keep this up, and you'll end up with a face full of wrinkles with all the needless worrying you do. I'm fine. I'm not half-dead. I can move. It's just a little pain. Nothing to get all worked up about."

"You were lucky, Severus. This could've—"

He waved a hand to silence her nonverbally and hugged her. He knew he'd likely pay for that later, but he didn't care right then. "Merlin, woman, you're worse than my mother some days, I swear. Come up here and rest. You're the one here looking half-dead after all." After she slowly climbed in beside him, he quickly wrapped his arms around her and waited as she settled against him. The moment her head rested on his shoulder, he pressed a kiss to the top of her head and sighed inwardly. He meant what he said. She truly did look half-dead. Though, he supposed he should've expected that, considering she had an annoying habit of worrying herself to death over him. Wives . . . honestly.


	7. Strange Oddities

**Strange Oddities**

Snarling in utter frustration with himself, Snape flopped back against his pillows and huffed loudly a few days later. He barely noted the retreating form of his physical therapist as she fled his room after he had lost complete control of his temper with her earlier. He hated this feeling of powerlessness, but above all he hated the need of having some wretched woman fussing over him and telling him to try to walk all the time. Didn't she understand that if it was just a matter of will on his part, he'd have been up and walking five minutes after being stabbed in the back? Honestly. Healers these days were getting stupider by the moment. As if he _enjoyed_ being at the mercy of someone else all the time. Who the hell did she think he was? Malfoy?

He glared at the door when he heard the soft knock. It obviously wasn't his wife or daughter. They'd have just walked in. As the door opened slowly a moment later, Snape's black eyes darkened slightly before quickly lightening when he saw his daughter scramble in before the green-eyed man.

"Daddy!" the little five-year-old screamed happily, rushing to his bedside.

"I see you brought me a guest as well," he mildly stated. He frowned when he watched the other man gently pick Angel up so she could reach her father. His frown was short-lived, though. The moment his little girl was on his cot, she quickly snuggled up to her father, burying her face into his chest and hugging him fiercely.

"Mummy went home for a bit to work on the house or something and left me with Grandmum. Now, Grandmum said she's gotta go, too, to check on Mummy, so I'm s'posed to stay with you, Daddy. Grandmum's orders. Don't worry, though. I wasn't off by myself. He told Grandmum he was going to talk to you, so I came with. To make sure he didn't get lost, you know?"

Snape snorted, running a hand through his daughter's long blond curls. Merlin, she was too adorable for her own good sometimes. His mind then wandered. What could be taking his wife so long to return? She had said earlier before leaving that she was just going to make sure everything was in order for his arrival, so that'd just be a simple look about. A five minute deal tops. Yet, if she was still away after his hour-long therapy session, maybe something was wrong. He guessed that was why his mother went to check on Aurora then—to make sure nothing had happened to her.

"I'm sorry to bother you, sir," the man quietly said, clearing his throat not long after. "But—"

"You're going to anyway," Snape replied with a sigh. "What do you want this time, Potter?"

"We need to know how many members of the Inner Circle are still left."

"What? The Ministry doesn't have records of that?" he mocked.

"No, sir," Harry answered honestly. "It's been difficult since the Dark Mark vanished completely from people's forearms."

"Pity." He glanced down when Angel lightly hit his hand. Leave it to his five-year-old to tell him off. Just like her mother, she was. "I take it you have a list for me to look at?" He watched Harry nod before the man dug in his pocket and pulled out a crumpled up piece of paper. Just barely holding back his annoyance, he grabbed it from him and opened it. His eyes quickly trailed down the list before he sighed and shook his head. In a short amount of time, the remaining Death Eaters had been decimated.

"Besides me, two remain," Snape replied with a frown, handing back the note. "Draco Malfoy and Lazarus Mulciber."

"Then we were correct. Good." Harry quickly pocketed the note again. "They're both under our watch in secret locations. Mulciber isn't too thrilled with his place, but he's complying so far."

That definitely sounded like his old schoolmate. Mulciber wasn't thrilled about anything usually. Unless he was torturing someone, that was. Snape kept running his fingers tenderly through his little girl's curls as he thought on all the deaths. He didn't feel too heartbroken over the deaths, mind you, but he didn't feel happy about them either.

"Has Lucius regained consciousness yet?" He caught Harry's pained look instantly. "What is it?"

"Mister Malfoy succumbed to his injuries last night."

Snape closed his eyes and sighed. Narcissa was likely a wreck, as was Draco, he'd imagine. While Lucius might not have been a good man by any means, he was all about his family and tried to put them first with his decisions. It was one of his more redeeming qualities.

"I see." He frowned and shook his head.

"Yeah." Harry exhaled loudly and shifted his weight. He clearly wanted to say more, but was holding himself back for some reason. It was several minutes later before he finally spoke. "Well, I should leave you to rest. I just want you to know, sir, that we won't stop until we find your attacker."

"Oh? And just why am I so special, Potter?"

Harry blinked in surprise before he quickly cleared his throat. "Because you're a hero."

"Am I?" Snape snorted. "And just what heroic deeds did I do exactly?"

"You protected me and put yourself in danger to keep me safe all those years."

"I protected you solely because I felt guilty over your mother's death," he answered honestly. "A selfish act. Not this romanticized version you and everyone's come up with."

"That may have been why you started, but—"

"No, Potter. That remained my reason throughout the years. It never wavered."

"But what about Professor Sinistra? You loved her more than Mum obviously."

"My relationship with my wife is none of your business."

"Fine. Then what about the fact you nearly died for me, almost sacrificing all this?"

"Like I said before, a selfish act meant to absolve myself of my guilt. A form of penance in other words. Nothing more."

"I don't believe you. You're just being humble or something. You are a hero, Snape. I mean, you got an Order of Merlin!"

"Yes, due to your rousing propaganda about my supposed deeds. Otherwise, I'd have been in Azkaban. I'm not the good man you believed me to be, Potter. I'd have thought I made that clear over the years with how I treated you."

"You had to treat me like that to solidify your position."

"Oh? Is that right? Hmm. Interesting theory. But that's all it is. A theory. Fact is, Potter, I hated your guts. You reminded me every damn day of how I had failed to protect your mother. We won't even mention how much you looked like your arsehole father."

Snape heard his daughter's soft gasp and glanced down at her with a frown. He caught her soft giggles a moment later and shook his head. As if that was truly the first time she had heard him use profanity around her. He snorted in his head before he quickly covered her ears, not feeling like casting another _Muffliato_ around them.

"And I get your anger about my dad. I do. He was a total prick to you. Honestly, Snape. You'd have been a better dad, I think. I mean, you loved my moth—"

"Shut it, Potter," he growled quietly, feeling his anger rise. "I don't need your pity."

"It's not—"

"I don't care," Snape hissed, glaring at Harry. "Your mother chose James. The end."

"But it had to—"

"Merlin above, shut up, Potter! Your mother and I would not have worked out. I assure you of that. Had we actually had a relationship her and I, I'd have had to change for her. She made it quite clear that it was either her or the Dark Arts. She didn't understand my fascination. She just found it to be evil. Do you understand what sort of life I would have had then? I'd have had to deny a part of myself just to stay with her. And, Merlin, help me if I dabbled in them accidentally and she found out about it. Your mother and I were polar opposites. Good as friends for a time when we were children, but horrible as lovers, I'd imagine. We wanted different things. And she got them with him."

He raised an eyebrow when he heard Harry's mumbling under his breath. No doubt the man was cursing him to hell and back for telling the truth. Snape didn't care, though. It felt good getting it all out finally. It was long past due that Potter learned the truth anyway.

"Fine. If you'll excuse me?" Potter grumbled.

"Of course." Snape gave a thin smile, proud of himself. He waited just until the man's hand was on the door to leave before he called out to him again. "While you're out searching for my attacker so dutifully, Potter, you should perhaps look into a woman named 'Natalia Sirov.' You'll find her records at the Ministry and at Hogwarts in the Headmaster's office. I'd imagine Dumbledore could direct you where exactly." He watched Harry's eyes narrow for a second before the man turned and left quietly.

"_Oh_, Mummy's gonna be mad," Angel said warningly. Her father only kissed her head, though.

~LEM~

Snape had thankfully been released from St. Mungo's finally. Now resting comfortably at his home in Cokeworth, he was quite glad for the respite from the bland walls that felt like prison to him. However, he wasn't quite ready to get up and move about on his own too much, though. He still needed to rely on his wife, but she rarely said anything as she helped him up. She likely knew how embarrassing it was to him, having to need someone like that.

He continued his physical therapy at home, practicing whenever he could. He soon found himself living for the enjoyable massages that came at the end. More than a few times, he found himself groaning inwardly at the feel of the therapist kneading his aching muscles. There, Aurora said a few things afterwards, but he could always tell that she was just trying to distract herself from something.

As his physical therapist left for the day several weeks later, he sighed contently and settled against the pillows. He was able to sit up on his own and push himself up to stand now. He could also take a few wobbly steps. His injuries weren't that great, of course, but the toxin on the blade had damaged some nerves in his back as well as sliced a muscle or two.

"Well, someone looks happy with himself," Aurora teased as she walked in with a tray of food. "Did she massage a little lower this time?"

"Hardly." He shook his head. It had become her long-standing joke over the past few weeks. His eyes briefly glanced at the tray before he sighed again.

"What? Not good enough?" she asked with a faint smile.

"No. Grilled cheese is fine," he replied as he watched her gently place the tray atop of his covered lap. "I merely thought we could eat together today."

She shook her head softly. "Unfortunately, I'm not really hungry right now. Next time, though."

He nodded and grabbed one of the diagonal slices. He silently took a bit and chewed, thinking back on the last time he'd had grilled cheese. It had been awhile.

"So, Angel and I went to see Poppy earlier for our check-ups," Aurora quietly announced.

"Oh? And how'd that go?"

"Good. According to Poppy, our daughter's in perfect health. I, on the other hand, am not."

He blinked and set his sandwich down. His entire focus was on her again. "What do you mean?"

"Let's see. There was a list." She laughed softly, running a hand through her dark curls. He had learned over the years this was signs nervousness and a coping mechanism. "I've been neglecting my sleep and not eating properly. I'm also extremely stressed currently, so I have high blood pressure."

He snorted. Of course his wife was stressed. She was nursing the worst patient known to man currently—him. If she hadn't been stressed, he'd have been concerned. She always worried herself to death over him. She had lost a good ten pounds five years ago when he had nearly died for Merlin's sake. Her weight loss was solely because she had stayed by his bedside, refusing to move for fear of losing him completely then. Several times he recalled her having to be pulled away by McGonagall.

"I'm not exercising enough or getting adequate sunlight." She rolled her eyes. "I'm wearing myself out, trying to do too many things at once. I'm not taking time to de-stress, nor am I having enough 'me' time." She then paused for a moment before saying flippantly, "Oh, and I'm pregnant."

"What?" His breath caught in the back of his throat. He had to have heard her wrong. Her warm eyes then met his, and he could see the sheer happiness. "You're pregnant?" he mouthed, staring at her in disbelief. He was going to be a dad again . . .

"I'm about three months along. I sort of guessed I was pregnant awhile back because of certain telltale signs, but I didn't feel like going to see Pomfrey to know for sure quite yet. I mean, I was planning on telling you at the restaurant during our anniversary, but then . . . you know." She sighed, her smile faltering for a second before she shook her head. "I didn't feel like springing it on you then. We had enough on our plate. Plus, too many times we've thought I was, only to find out that it was a false alarm. I didn't want us to be disappointed again."

"So, you decided to focus on me instead of our unborn child?" he lightly rebuked.

"Not exactly. I've been eating when I can, and I've been taking that nasty nutritional potion that I had to take last time with Angel. Luckily, Horace hasn't noticed the missing stock yet. I've been delegating my time among all three of you."

He frowned before he levitated the tray wandlessly and set it onto the nightstand. He then held an arm out to her before he said, "Come here, you foolish woman." Some days she was a right dunderhead.

"Severus," she started to say, her eyes softening.

"No. Come here, Aurora. Now," he firmly replied. His frown deepened when she didn't move. "You have to the count of three before I _Accio_ you, witch."

"You wouldn't."

"One," he counted, his eyes holding hers.

"Severus, I'm not a child!"

"Two." He held his hand out further to her as if to prove his point that he would. He then watched her shoulders slump in defeat before she sighed and sat down before snuggling up beside him. "Thank you," he quietly said, wrapping an arm around her.

"I'm not an invalid."

"Never said you were. However, I am not going to be responsible for you collapsing or anything else that jeopardizes your life or our child's. Now, hush."

"You're not going to be super protective like you were last time, right?"

He glanced up at the ceiling and rolled his eyes. He _was not_ super protective last time. So, he had her eat more meat some days. He merely wanted to make sure that she didn't end up anemic. She needed protein and iron, and her pathetic salads she always ate only went so far to provide that. He also may have made her take short naps whenever she yawned. She needed to store her energy for childbirth. His book on what to expect had told him that she'd need loads of it. And, well, he may have also made certain that she stayed far away from Mrs. Norris and McGonagall. Cats weren't good for the baby either according to his book. Nor were Cruciatus curses or magic of any kind, so he kept her far from the Carrows as well. He may have also altered her classes so she wasn't up until all hours of the night teaching pathetic students about the stars—and moved her classes from the Astronomy Tower to outside so she wouldn't walk up all those steps and run the risk of hurting herself. He only did what any other guy would do for his mother-to-be. What father-to-be wouldn't do that?

"Severus?"

"Of course not," he replied with an indignant huff. "And for the record, I wasn't overprotective last time either. You're merely exaggerating because you dislike my fussing."

"You cast a cushioning charm on me whenever I'd walk across the room!" she squawked.

"To ensure you didn't hurt yourself and the baby if you tripped," he explained. "It wasn't as if you could see your feet over your big belly after all." He winced when she hit him hard in the shoulder. On second thought that may have not been the best thing to say.

"Bastard," she grumbled under her breath.

He let the silence settle around them then. No doubt he would have to watch his tongue once more. He nearly had her in tears throughout her entire pregnancy from his accidental sharp words last time. Though, he couldn't take all of the blame. She had been pregnant with Angel during his first year as Headmaster. They had been forced to deal with the Carrows' abuse to the students, the Dark Lord trying to kill Potter, and the staff hating his guts. In other words, the most trying year they had ever had to endure together as a couple.

Keeping Aurora's pregnancy a secret from the staff, not to mention Death Eaters, hadn't been easy in the slightest. But it was a decision they had come to together. They both knew that it would have been too dangerous for both of them if anyone knew. So for her entire pregnancy up until the point she was in labor in the middle of the Great Hall during the Final Battle, she had used concealment charms to hide her belly. He had maintained their usual coldness to one another whenever they were near others, something they had adopted at the very start of their relationship. More often than not that year, he wanted just to throw aside his vow to protect Harry and be by his unborn child's mother's side. But he couldn't, so he didn't.

"Severus?"

He sighed. There went his silence for the night. "Yes?"

"Tell me a story," she whispered, drawing lazy circles on his chest. "One I don't already know."

"As you wish." He frowned, thinking before finally deciding to explain more about Natalia.

~LEM~

_Twenty-one year old Snape looked onto the sight in front of him impassively. He stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Natalia, his year-long partner in crime. He did his best to ignore the sickening feeling deep within his gut. It wouldn't do any good to sick up right then. He blinked several times as screams filled the room, but made no other facial movement of any kind. He drew in a slow breath a few moments later when he heard the low 'Avada Kedavra' followed by the blinding green light enveloping the last poor soul in the young group of girls._

"_I trust this will serve as a reminder to you, Natalia," hissed the Dark Lord near their ears._

"_Yes, my Lord," she replied shakily._

"_Excellent." He chuckled darkly, his hand running down her cheek. "Do not fail me tonight, my dear, or it'll be you who suffers the same fate."_

"_I won't, my Lord."_

"_Good. Leave me then. Both of you."_

_Recognizing that she was unable to move otherwise, Snape grabbed a hold of Natalia's wrist and Disapparated them far away. They appeared in the safe house a moment later. He said nothing when she wrenched her hand back from his._

"_Don't touch me!" she yelled._

"_I wouldn't dream of it," he mildly growled back, thoroughly annoyed with her. He glared as she paced near him. It was all her fault. She had nearly thrown all the hard work they had done this past year away for nothing. Idiot woman._

_He couldn't fully explain it if he ever had to retell the memory again, because he still wasn't sure himself what the hell had happened to make it happen. But sometime during their hour-long bickering and snarling at one another after appearing in the safe house, he had yanked her close and slammed his lips atop of hers. He kissed her long and hard, and she slapped him as a result not long after. With the resounding sting still felt in his cheek, she then pulled him closer and snogged the hell out of him. It still confused him to that day about what happened. It made absolute no sense._

_One moment they were fighting like cats and dogs, the next they were shagging up against the wall. Her nails caught his face and back, leaving deep marks on his skin. He left dark bruises on her inner thighs and back as he pounded her into the wall with all his might. It wasn't love. It wasn't even to make them feel better after witnessing what they had. It was pain, sheer pain meant to harm the other. To punish each other and themselves for failing. That was the only thing he could ever come up with._

_He awoke later on the floor, stiff and sore. He frowned as he saw her curled up in a ball a little ways from him. He could see the deep purple bruises and red marks to her bare back and sighed. She looked like he had beaten her, but it was all from the hard, unforgiving stone wall. He slowly picked himself up off the ground and limped over to the cabinet to grab the bruise paste. His fingers had just curled around the bottle when he felt the sharp pain in his left forearm. The Dark Mark. It was time._

_He quickly threw on his clothes, noticing that she was doing the same. So, it hadn't just been him that received the message then. Lovely. He placed his silver skull-like mask over his face and frowned. Tonight was supposed to be some important the Dark Lord had informed them. But neither he nor Natalia ever knew why exactly._

_Now dressed in their menacing Death Eater robes again, they followed their earlier orders and Apparated to a Muggle village in northern England. They appeared in front of a church with their wands drawn, held loosely by their sides as they strode through the town. Nearby they could hear screams of the villagers, but they ignored it. They couldn't help them._

_They ran down a back alleyway before Natalia suddenly reached to grab his arm to stop him. All around them was a series of red blinking objects. His eyes narrowed in temporary confusion before he found himself being shoved out of the way. Loud explosions then ripped through their alleyway, sending debris and fire through the air. He slammed hard onto the ground and yelled out as his head connected with something. Fighting against the darkness of his mind, he turned back to look at Natalia. His dark eyes searched wildly for her before he finally found her several feet from him surrounded by engulfed debris. He groaned in pain and crawled to her. He may not have liked her, but he wasn't about to let her die there either. Not after she just saved his life._

~LEM~

Snape quietly finished saying that Natalia had just saved his life when he felt his wife shift abruptly while she rested her head on his shoulder. He supposed she likely felt awkward with his retelling about his being with another woman. Aurora did have a bit of a jealous insecurity about her.

"Then what happened?" she softly asked, glancing up to look at him.

"I Disapparated us to Hogwarts. When I came to much later, I found myself in the hospital wing with Dumbledore sitting beside me." He sighed softly. "He informed me then that Natalia had succumbed to her injuries earlier. So, I left it at that. She wasn't the first person I knew who died after all. And we weren't that close. Acquaintances, maybe, but that was it."

"Must be nice to shut off your emotions and not care about others."

"I don't make comments about your coping mechanisms," he pointed out with a look.

She huffed and glanced up at the ceiling. For several minutes afterwards, the silence settled around them. He could tell that she was listening to his heartbeat, feeling her tap in cadence with it. He merely waited, knowing her better than he knew himself. Once she had her emotions back under control again, she'd talk.

"The guy she killed that you were talking about the other day," she quietly said. "Did you agree with her thoughts about him?"

"That he was scum?" he asked, watching her incline her head slowly a moment later. "His intentions were quite clear. He was going to have her if she agreed or not. She told him to stop multiple times, to let her go. He didn't. If anything, he became more violent with her." He frowned, recalling that memory vividly. "She may have led him on at first while testing his reactions in the pub—a stupid thing to do of course, but the moment she said stop, he should've listened and done so. He didn't, though. In fact, I briefly heard his thoughts at one point as I headed to them and heard all the vile, disgusting things he wanted to do to her. And all the things he had done before to other women."

"Do you think she knew that he was that bad?"

"Natalia always had an uncanny ability for knowing dark secrets. I had at first thought she was a Legilimens, but I never felt the prod of her mind. She had some other method to detect one's true thoughts. I never learned what it was." He shook his head. "She definitely bit off more than she could chew with him, though, and I think it scared her briefly."

"You said earlier that you didn't agree with her method."

"I don't agree with her. Frankly, she took her response to his vileness too far with him."

"Even though she was scared?"

"Yes. She should have never tested him like that. If she hadn't been a witch, she likely would've ended up being raped by him. However, he had a choice as well. Recognizing that when a woman says 'no' that she means it. She can be dressed however, flirt, but the minute she says 'no' it means no and you stop that second." He shook his head. "My mother told me repeatedly that if I don't stop when a woman says to, not only am I disrespecting the young lady I'm with, but I'd be disrespecting all women including my mother." He scoffed as the words from long ago echoed in his mind. Even to that day, his mother still could put the fear in him. "She also said that if she ever found out that I did that, the authorities would be the least of my concern."

"Remind me to send a 'thank you' card to her later," she teased before sighing. "I love you."

"I know."

At the sound of a sudden knock on the back door, he frowned. He gently pulled back from her and watched his wife silently leave the bedroom to answer the door. When she returned a moment later with Harry beside her, Snape openly groaned.

"Nice to see you, too, sir," Harry replied with a snort.

"What do you want now?"

Harry glanced towards Aurora for a moment before he cleared his throat and spoke. "I looked up this 'Natalia Sirov' like you suggested."

"And?" Snape urged.

"There aren't any records at Hogwarts or the Ministry of a 'Natalia Sirov.' I even asked Dumbledore's portrait. He said he never heard of that name, but he seemed—I don't know—sketchy about it like he was trying to hide something."

"The files were removed then?"

"That's what it seems like, yes."

Snape frowned, rubbing his scruffy chin. Now, that was interesting. Why would her files have been removed? To protect her identity obviously, but it led him to wonder about his files as well. Had he received the same treatment from Dumbledore? He decided to ask just in case.

"Did you find my records at all there?"

"Yes, sir. Just not hers."

"Impossible."

"Maybe." Harry shrugged. "Several files were missing according to the clerk at the Ministry. Supposedly that's happened a lot since the Final Battle."

"I see." He supposed he could see that on second thought. A lot of high-ranked officials in the Ministry had access to remove their files to escape punishment.

"Sir?" Harry cleared his throat when Snape glanced at him. "I have an idea. It's sort of crazy, but, well, it might help us learn your attacker's identity."

"How?"

"Hypnosis. It's used a lot by Muggle therapists to—"

"I'm aware of its use, Potter," Snape quietly growled. He exhaled a moment later and shook his head. That would certainly be an option. It'd allow him to recall details that he missed before.

"I don't mean to be an idiot," Aurora said with an awkward laugh as she held a hand up, "but are there any side effects to this?"

Harry shook his head. "No. Well, he might have some residual response to post-hypnotic suggestions for a time, but he should be fine."

Snape snorted. How _kind_ of Harry to state he'd be fine afterwards. He settled further against his pillows and frowned. It would allow him to see what he missed. His eyes darted to his wife when she grabbed his hand suddenly. He merely inclined his head to her, feeling her pulse race beneath his hand. She was no doubt worried about him once more.

"I take it that you're experienced with this practice then?"

"I am. It's helped in some of my cases. I won't put you too far under, just enough for you to relay details to me. Shouldn't take more than an hour or so," Harry explained. "Professor Sinistra can remain here with you if you'd like."

"How considerate of you," Snape snidely replied. He glanced up when he felt Aurora's quick squeeze silently telling him to be nice. "Very well. Get it over with. I have tea time with my daughter and her stuffed animals in two hours that I refuse to miss." He heard Aurora's laugh instantly and smiled inwardly. It was a long-standing ritual between them that he secretly always looked forward to.

Snape followed Harry's instructions, resisting the urge to make snarky remarks all the while. He could feel himself slowly enter into his light trance a few minutes later as his eyes followed the swinging pocket watch in front of him. A part of his mind that was still working informed him that it was the Prewett watch Molly Weasley had given Harry as a gift when he came of age.

"You're at the restaurant with your wife for your anniversary." Harry's voice floated around him.

Snape could picture the scene perfectly. He then heard Harry mention about Snape leaving to head to the bathroom. He quickly followed himself, looking around to see if anyone had followed.

"You enter the bathroom then. You scan it. Do you see anyone?"

"Yes," Snape replied emotionlessly. "A man in a bowler hat at the urinals. He leaves shortly after I walk in." He looks about the bathroom once more, trying to see if he missed anything.

"Is there anyone else? Maybe at the toilets?"

"No. It's empty."

"Do you hear anything?"

"No." It was entirely silent.

"Do you feel anything? Maybe a prickling feeling to your neck?"

"No."

"What about smell?"

Snape inhaled deeply and closed his eyes. He could smell cleaner, bleach likely, from the freshly washed floors. He then smelled the green foamy soap from the dispenser beside him.

"Do you smell anything? Anything at all?"

He inhaled deeply again. Being a Potions Master, he was trained to use his nose to smell out ingredients in potions. It was one reason he actually liked having a large nose. It made it a hell of a lot easier to discern what ingredient was used. It also gave him an advantage over the others.

"The soap dispenser was leaking, giving off a mint-like smell."

"All right. And then?" Harry urged.

"The floors had just been washed as well with some sort of cleaner." There were numerous smells, some downright foul. It was difficult discerning them. But he quietly worked through each scent.

"Was there anything that smelled out of place? Like butterbeer?"

Snape shook his head. Everything pretty much smelled like a normal men's bathroom. He glanced at himself in the mirror, recognizing as he saw himself stuff the large velvet box into his pocket that he was about to be stabbed. It was important for him to focus so he didn't miss anything. He closed his eyes once more and inhaled deeply again. There had to be something there that he missed before. No one was that good. All he had to do was find it, and then he'd have his attacker over a barrel.

"All right." He snapped his fingers loudly a moment later.

Snape's eyes opened immediately afterwards as he came out of his trance and sighed. "Unfortunately, Potter, the only other thing I could smell is Aurora's perfume, and we both know she wasn't there with me when I was stabbed." He caught Aurora's quick glance down and shook his head.

"Well, it was worth a try," Harry replied. "I'll see if I can figure something else out. Thank you, sir. Goodbye." The green-eyed man then silently left the room, leaving them alone again.

"Your perfume is quite memorable in my mind, it'd seem," he remarked dryly, pulling her down beside him on the bed. He held her close as she remained strangely silent, likely worrying as always. "We'll find him or her soon enough, Aurora. And then we can put all this behind us." He felt her kiss his hand soon after and relaxed. It'd be all right soon enough. He knew it.


	8. Ultimate Betrayal

**A/N: **Some of you are going to be jumping down my throats and likely Severus's as well by the end of this chapter. But it's all for the shocker effect. That being said... enjoy. :D

**Ultimate Betrayal**

Two hours later, Snape found himself surrounded by his daughter's stuffed animals as he lay in bed, holding a cup of cold tea. He listened absentmindedly while his little girl droned on about her animals. It was something about how Mrs. Jaguar was worried about her husband Mr. Panther. He had snorted when he first heard the names. As if a jaguar would ever really marry a panther in real life.

"Oh?" he quietly said a moment later when she paused to take a breath. "And just why is she worried about her husband?" A little voice in the back of his head snidely replied that it was because Mrs. Jaguar was just like his wife and worried about every little damn thing.

"Because when Mrs. Jaguar was younger—like really young, Daddy, Mr. Giraffe—that's her boss—gave her a secret mission."

He snorted again. "Oh, but of course he did." He then mockingly glared at the pink-and-white giraffe across from him. "That evil giraffe."

"Daddy, I'm serious!" the little six-year-old cried, throwing her hands up into the air. "This is like a really big deal. It could tear apart their marriage, you know?"

"Well, Daddy thinks you've been around Mrs. Andrews too much, my Angel," he replied with a faint smile before kissing the top of her head. His nosy neighbor had a habit of teaching his little girl grown up things that she didn't quite understand yet. He chuckled when he caught his daughter's glare. She truly did take after him a bit too much some days. "I'm sure that Mrs. Jaguar and Mr. Panther can work things out eventually."

"Like you and Mummy will?" she innocently asked.

He furrowed his brows instantly. "What are you talking about? We're not fighting, Angel."

His little girl shrugged and grabbed her Slytherin teddy bear, holding it close to her.

"Do you know something I don't, Miss Snape?" he asked, using his familiar teacher voice. He frowned when he saw her bite her bottom lip. "What do you know?"

"Nuh-uh. Cause if I say, you and Mummy will fight and then I won't have a mummy anymore."

He blinked before shaking his head violently. "What on earth are you talking about? Why wouldn't you have Mummy anymore? Where would she go?"

"Away" was her soft whisper as his daughter brushed her bear's non-existent hair.

"Away where?" he asked firmly. He then caught the tears splashing her cheeks. "My sweet, sweet Angel, Daddy doesn't understand," he said quietly, reaching for her. "Where would she go?" He watched her shake her head adamantly and sighed. "Daddy would miss her. Lots."

"Not if he knew," she whispered, hanging her head.

He sighed, pulling her up gently while ignoring the slight twinge in his back. He brushed back her long blond curls, wiping away her tears. What on earth could she be talking about? Where would Aurora go? And if he knew about what? He then glanced at the panther and the jaguar.

They hadn't found out the quaint fact that his daughter was a natural Legilimens like him until his then four-year-old daughter blurted out in the middle of a family dinner that he hated Aurora's dress and wished she had changed it. He had been so startled at the time to hear his thoughts voiced aloud by his daughter that he had unfortunately made a scene while cutting his steak and sent the piece of meat flying through the air. It was safe to say after that encounter, he and Aurora made certain that their daughter understood that it wasn't right to use her magic on people and hear their thoughts without permission. Every now and then, though, she'd have a hiccup with her magic and couldn't control it.

"Angel?" he quietly said, his heart beating wildly against his ribcage as he started to feel sick to his stomach while her earlier seemingly meaningless drivel started sinking in. "Are Mummy and Daddy Mrs. Jaguar and Mr. Panther?" He caught his daughter's slight nod. She used their Animagus forms to represent them, even though they had never shifted into either forms around her ever. "And Mr. Giraffe? Is he Headmaster Dumbledore?" He closed his eyes when he saw her slight jerk of her head.

"Please don't be mad at Mummy, Daddy," she cried, crawling up his lap.

Mad was not what he felt. Numb, shock, dismay—those he felt. He drew in a slow breath before he reopened his eyes. He swallowed back his emotions and opened his mouth.

"Go get Mummy for me, please."

"Daddy, you can't—" she cried, as if she knew her world was coming apart.

"No, Angel. Do as I ask." He watched her sniffle, scrubbing at her eyes before she quietly got down and walked out of the bedroom. His mind reeled with thoughts. He knew he had to be logical about this. There always was a chance that his daughter was wrong, and Merlin he hoped this was one of those times. He needed it to be one of those times.

"What happened with Angel?" Aurora asked softly, walking in a moment later. "Wait. Are you in pain right now? Do you need me to get you a potion?"

"No." He shook his head. "I need to ask you something. And I need the truth, Aurora. No matter what it is. Do you understand? I need you to tell me the truth. We swore no lies to each other after we got married, so I need you to be honest with me now. All right?"

"All right." She frowned, sitting on the edge of their bed.

"Did you stab me that night in Sheer?" he bluntly asked. He caught her eyes widening instantly, which gave him hope for a moment. She seemed outraged so maybe she hadn't hurt him. He then saw her eyes softening as her shoulders sagged. He closed his eyes and hung his head.

"It's not what you think, Severus," she replied quietly.

"You killed people in cold blood, Aurora." _Translation: You stabbed me in the back, woman,_ he thought with a snarl.

"No."

"_Yes_," he hissed, his eyes flying open as he glared at her. "I'm the only one you didn't kill. I suppose I should consider myself lucky for that."

"Stop it. You don't know the whole story."

"They were bad people, so you killed them. End of story."

"No. I-I mean, yes, they were, but that's not all there was to it, Severus. I _had _to do it."

"Our daughter was safe, Aurora, so don't give me that ridiculous rubbish!"

"It wasn't about Angel," she snapped. "It was about you, you goddamn arse!"

"Me?" He scoffed. "I fail to see how it could be."

"Albus gave you a choice between Azkaban and being a spy, didn't he?" She huffed when he blinked in surprise. "Didn't think I knew that, did you? Well, I did, because it was _my_ idea. Albus never gave a damn about you. Every single time he looked at you, he saw another Lord Voldemort. I begged him to give you another chance, though. Pleaded with him to see what I did. He finally agreed, but at a price. Five years after the end of the war, I would kill all remaining Death Eaters so that they would not rise back to power. I gave him a vow, Severus. I would do this as long as he made certain that you were safe, that you had a second chance at a good life, and you did."

"But then you would've had to—"

"No. The vow was made with the express mentioning that after the Dark Lord had finally been vanquished. Albus didn't believe it was after the Potters' deaths. So, this year when it was five years after the Final Battle, I did as I vowed to do. I chose you first to make certain you weren't on your guard so there wasn't a chance that I could hurt you badly. And it worked."

"The others?"

"I had tried to give Lucius a fighting chance, since he had made amends these past few years. But he moved when I thrust my blade."

"And Draco?"

"Draco wasn't on the list," she quietly admitted. "I only went after the ones Dumbledore had written down."

"You could have—"

"No, Severus. I couldn't have. I made an Unbreakable Vow to him to make sure he kept his end of the bargain."

He inhaled sharply. She made an Unbreakable Vow? Was she insane? He shook his head. No. He had to have heard her wrong. She wouldn't have made such a vow. Not one like that. But he saw it all over her face that she had.

"Why? Why would you make that vow?" he shouted, barely holding back his temper.

"To make sure you were safe, Severus. We both know that I knew you were a Death Eater. If caught, you would have ended up in Azkaban just like the others. You joined to belong, to feel power. And like so many others, you realized not long after joining what sort of hell you just put yourself in. I did what I thought was right. I knew if I had Dumbledore on your side, you'd be safe. That you'd redeem yourself and change. And I was right."

"He—you _killed_ them in cold blood, Aurora!"

"I killed murderers and rapists, Severus. Hardly upstanding citizens," she replied with a sigh.

"Do you not understand the blood you have on your hands now? The damage you've done to your soul? You're no different from me now. Did you really want that?" He caught her faint smile and glared even more at her. "That's not something to be proud of, witch!"

"I'm not smiling because of my deeds, Severus. I'm smiling because you still believe that I'm this sweet, innocent witch."

"Compared to me you are," he argued.

"Hardly. You just put me on a pedestal like I'm some sort of angel when I'm not. My soul was damaged long ago. I just hide it. From you. From others. Because that's what I was ordered to do."

He frowned, narrowing his eyes. Was there a whole other side of his wife he didn't know? He had thought he had her all figured out all these years. She came from a good home. Better than his at least. Her father adored and doted on her every moment while growing up. On the other hand, her mother was a bitch and treated her horribly in some sort of paranoid way of keeping Aurora safe. However, Aurora had taken all her mother's abuse in stride and made lemonade out of it later in life. She had grown into a kind, loving, forgiving woman. She certainly had forgiven him frequently over the years they'd been together.

"I don't follow," he quietly admitted, staring at her in utter confusion. "Are you suggesting that there are parts of your life I know nothing about? Like you've been some sort of double agent yourself?"

She laughed, rolling her eyes. "I wouldn't say double agent." She exhaled slowly, running a hand through her hair as she clearly debated with herself for a moment.

"We swore no secrets," he reminded. "We swore to be honest with one another. Do you recall?"

"I do." She closed her eyes, her shoulders sagging.

"Then, tell me, Aurora. You've already told me the worst by admitting you were the one who stabbed me in the back." He caught the pain flash in her eyes instantly.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't distract. Speak. What else don't I know?" He grabbed her hand a moment later. "Tell me. I can't help you if I don't have the whole story."

"The woman you have Harry looking for—he won't ever find her. Albus removed all the files a year before his death. He didn't want anyone to trace her back. It wasn't hard, of course, seeing as how she wasn't real to begin with." She held his eyes. "There was no Natalia Sirov, Severus. Don't get me wrong. You met a woman claiming to be her, but it was all an elaborate lie."

His eyes narrowed as his mouth slowly opened. No. No she couldn't have . . . Aurora was full of emotion and good, whereas Natalia was cold and dark. Aurora wouldn't kill unless there was no other way. How could he have been so wrong? How was it that he didn't notice? There had to have been some sign if it was true. He stared at her in disbelief. He had to be wrong in his theory. "You were Natalia?" She'd laugh and say no, and all would be well again. It couldn't be true. She couldn't have been that much like him that he didn't see the signs, didn't know, didn't even entertain the possibility of it.

"Yes."

His world shifted of its axis. They were two entirely different people in his mind. How was it possible that he never realized that they were the same? That she had been Natalia?

"Albus didn't see a need for the ruse to continue after the Potters' deaths so he told you that she died. And you took him at his word. Like you said before, no need to drag up ancient history. So I let you believe the lie and didn't tell you the truth. I wanted to some days. When you made me feel like I had never done any wrong before."

"Why didn't you tell me the truth then? Why'd you let me continue to believe it?" Who the hell had he married? He found himself questioning everything. Was he wrong about her entirely?

"For several reasons. The biggest being that I didn't want to lose you. It was difficult to compartmentalize her and me at first, but I got used to it after awhile. Albus wanted me to act cold and unfeeling so you'd never connect us as being the same woman. I used a Glamour to alter my appearance, a voice-altering spell, and tried to imitate Bellatrix. There were times when I went home afterwards, covered in blood, and wondered why I was doing this."

"And what was the answer?"

"You. Oh, I knew we wouldn't be together as Severus and Natalia. I knew that right away. I almost gave myself away in fact that first time, flirting with you. Had to remind myself that it wasn't right. That you deserved someone real, someone deserving of your love. So I shut down that part of myself that gets all giddy when you're around. Potions helped with that sometimes. Albus helped other times, forcing me to faux occlude."

"The men you killed over that year. How did you know them to be the monsters they were?"

"Albus. I never asked where he learned his information, but he'd give me a photo of them prior to that night we'd go to a pub. Every week was a new photo. Sometimes I'd kill the man in that photo . . . sometimes not. It all depended on if you and I were summoned before Voldemort."

"How did the Dark Lord not know that you weren't truly his?"

"I believed my lie with all my heart, Severus. My mother taught me how to do that. Believe that being attacked was for my own good so I'd get stronger. It was the same way with him. The only time I faltered and my real self came out was that night we witnessed those girls be tortured because of my failure. I couldn't compartmentalize then. It was too real, too close to my true self."

He closed his eyes. It had all been a lie. He slowly reopened his eyes and glanced at her. He swallowed before raising a tentative hand to her cheek. He needed to know. His heart was heavy as he thought the simple word, _Legilimens_. He felt her tense immediately at the feel of him inside her mind, but she said nothing and didn't even try to fight him.

He found the memory of him standing in front of the sink soon after, watching him shove the velvet box back into his pocket before freezing. His eyes watched her reflection in the mirror as she stood behind him in the memory, wearing that outfit from that night. He could see the sadness in her brown eyes and shook his head. He needed her thoughts. He needed to know if she was truly the unfeeling monster his mind was now making her to be.

_I wish there was another way, my love_. Her thought echoed around the bathroom, letting him easily hear it. He could hear the somberness in the words. He inhaled deeply when he caught the sight of her wand shifting into the familiar blade. _But I have to do this._ At the sight of her quick thrust of her knife into his lower back, he glanced away. She _had_ stabbed him in the back. Literally.

He then turned back as he heard her shaky breaths. He saw the tears rolling down her cheeks while she slowly lowered him to the ground, removing her blade from his back. He watched her press a hand to his cheek and suppressed the urge to walk to her and hug her memory self. His eyes widened when he caught her soft incantation of a minor healing spell that stopped his bleeding temporarily.

"Forgive me," she whispered before standing up. A loud noise then was heard outside of the door, her blade shifting back to her wand as she slipped it back into her sleeve. The door then opened, followed by her scream, and then footsteps before Snape finally pulled back from her mind.

"You made certain they'd find me?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Yes." She swallowed. "You have to believe me, Severus. I never wanted to hurt you."

"Was I on Dumbledore's list?"

"Yes." She exhaled shakily. "But when I received the list after his death, your name was crossed off. He had said in a subsequent note that he had punished you enough. That your fate rested with me now, and I could punish you however I saw fit."

"So you stabbed me in the back?" he snapped.

"No! I mean, yes, I did stab you in the back. But I didn't do it to punish you. I did it so the Aurors wouldn't find it suspicious and wonder if it was you that did them."

"That's idiotic. No Auror would think that." _Except Weasley and Potter_, a voice in his head said.

"Well, I'm not a criminal mastermind, Severus," she dryly replied.

"The vow was five years after the end of the battle?"

"Yes. I had a year to complete it."

"And it took you, what? Two months at most?" He snorted in dark amusement. "Dumbledore likely never knew how deadly of an assassin you were, or he'd have used you more often."

"I didn't get off on all those deaths, Severus," she said, slightly outraged by his insinuation.

"I never stated you did, witch," he drawled. He could feel his insides slowly unknot. She had killed Muggle filth and Death Eaters all on Albus's orders. And for what? So that he'd have a second chance at happiness, at a life of his own without having to worry about looking over his shoulders for the Aurors at every chance. It was a life he would've had if he hadn't been for Aurora making her deal with the devil for him. She hadn't gone too off the wagon it'd seem. Other than making an Unbreakable Vow that was. He sighed, shaking his head.

"I'd understand if you want to—"

"Silence," he ordered with a quiet growl, glancing at her. He waited until her mouth snapped shut. "When you pleaded with him to help me, did he tell you then what he wanted from you?"

"No. Not until I accepted the Unbreakable Vow."

He glanced upwards at the ceiling and shook his head. "Then if what you say is true, the only thing you're guilty of is agreeing to an Unbreakable Vow before learning what you were vowing to."

"You're right, though. I killed in cold blood. I deserve—"

"On Albus's orders with an Unbreakable Vow hanging over your head. I am correct to assume that you didn't offer the idea to kill the Death Eaters?"

"You are."

He nodded. That worked in her favor. "Who was the bonder?"

"Alastor Moody."

He rubbed his face tiredly. "All right. We'll talk to Kingsley. See if he can bury it." He caught her look instantly, recognizing that she likely already had resigned to surrendering herself to the Aurors. "No. We're not going to run the risk of you being sent off to Azkaban over this. You may have killed them and stabbed me, but it was out of self-preservation from the Vow. He'll see it that way as well." He caught her eyes and spoke with deep conviction. "I'm not going to lose you now because of Albus Fucking Dumbledore's meddling. Understood?" She nodded. "Good. Let's send an owl then."

~LEM~

The Minister of Magic stared at them in utter disbelief after Snape finished his retelling of the story. Shacklebolt glanced at Aurora and then back at Snape. He blinked several times before finally speaking to them.

"You're pulling my leg, right?" the minister asked quietly.

"I wish we were, Minister," Snape replied with a sigh.

"Aurora?" Shacklebolt repeated, his mind clearly not able to process what Snape had said. "Your wife in other words stabbed you?" The dark-skinned man gave a forced chuckle of disbelief. "Any minute now you'll tell me that the sun's green, won't you?"

"I assure you, Minister, that it is quite truthful."

"That the sun's green?"

"No. That Aurora stabbed me," Snape snapped before quickly brushing back his anger.

Shacklebolt glanced back at Aurora, who remained silent, and shook his head. "Don't take this the wrong way, but you have to be nutters to believe that. It's obvious to everyone who's ever seen you two together that she loves you. I don't—it doesn't make sense."

"I'm aware of that." Dear Merlin was he ever. He was still wrapping his head around it himself. "Which is why I stated that she was under an Unbreakable Vow."

"To stab you?"

Snape sighed loudly, feeling his annoyance rise with Kingsley. Why couldn't the man just listen? Snape had laid it all out rather neatly and easy to understand. "She was to kill all Death Eaters on a list five years after the Dark Lord was finally vanquished," he repeated for the tenth time that night.

"Do you still have the list?" Shacklebolt asked, glancing at Aurora.

"Yes," she answered quietly.

"I'll need to see it." Neither man said anything when she left to retrieve it. She returned a few moments later, handing him the badly crinkled paper. Shacklebolt drew his wand and silently tapped it against the note before sighing. "I see." He shook his head. "Well, this was definitely written by Albus Dumbledore."

"Will you help us then, Minister?" Snape asked. They needed a man like Shacklebolt on their side if they were going to move past everything unscathed.

"Frankly, Snape, I don't understand any of this," Shacklebolt replied honestly. He glanced between husband and wife before shaking his head. "You love Severus. You've frequently jumped down our throats when we said even the littlest slight against him. This doesn't make sense, Aurora. Taking your strong feelings for your husband out of account, we still have the matter that you have an alibi. A very tight one. So, unless you're covering for—"

"I'm not, Kingsley," she replied instantly, cutting him off. "I killed them and stabbed Severus in the back. No one else did it. I swear. I'm not covering for anyone." She gave a soft laugh, clearly resigned to her fate. "It was me, and only me."

"You have an alibi, though. For all of the stabbings!" Kingsley argued.

"If you examined the area closely for time particles, you would find a minute bit in each location." She silently fished out her pendant she always wore underneath her robes. "With my necklace, I used a freeze charm to stop time briefly to allow myself the ability to Disapparate and Apparate to my victims before I stabbed them. They never saw me as a result."

"You're kidding." Shacklebolt shook his head as if to get rid of cobwebs in it before gaping. "How were you able to do that? All the Time Turners were destroyed years back in the Battle of the Ministry. I-I don't follow or understand or anything really."

"Without getting too technical, Time Turners use a type of sand that is rather sensitive to time. Therefore, it is rather easy to manipulate it. It operates much under the same way as a pond and ripples in other words. A bit of that sand was used in making my pendant. I recently learned of this from Albus, and he stated that if I could figure it out that I could use my necklace to alter time. It took several tries before I figured out the right catalyst that was needed."

"If what you're saying is true, then you could pause time now and run."

"I could," she agreed. "But I won't. For years now I've preached how people should own up to their mistakes and make it right. It's time I do the same."

"Do not listen to her," Snape cut in, frowning deeply. He didn't care if he had to chain her to the bed in order to keep her away from Azkaban. She was not going anywhere if he had anything to say about it. His wife would never see the inside of Azkaban.

"Will you stop? Please," she quietly said, her hand moving to rest on his arm. "It'll be all right."

"You don't know that," Snape shot back. She truly didn't know that it would be all right. Her eternal optimism was bound to run out someday, and knowing their luck it'd be then.

"Oh, come now. There aren't any Dementors anymore."

Shacklebolt suddenly cleared his throat and shifted his weight as he stood awkwardly to the side.

"You killed high-ranking Death Eaters, Aurora! You might as well just hang yourself than enter Azkaban because the end result would be the same," Snape growled.

"I can take care of myself, Severus. I would think you'd know that by now."

"What about the kids? Hmm? Have you even thought about them?" He caught his wife's instant look of shame. "Azkaban is no place to raise a child, let alone be pregnant while there. Something could happen to you. To our child. And what do you want to do?" he sarcastically asked. "You want to go there to make amends for something you only did because of a stupid Unbreakable Vow."

She sighed heavily before glancing at Shacklebolt. She gave the Minister an apologetic smile. "Excuse us for a moment." Without casting a privacy charm, she turned back to her husband and crossed her arms. "That Vow does not give me a get-out-of-jail card, Severus. _I_ made that Vow. _I_ chose to make it. He didn't hold a wand to my head or force me to make it."

"You stated yourself that you made that Vow to make sure that I didn't end up in Azkaban, that I had a second chance."

"I still had a choice, though," she argued. "I could have declined when he told me what the Vow actually was."

"No. You didn't." He growled, shaking his head. "Damn it all to hell, woman! The minute Dumbledore mentioned that he'd help me, you didn't have a choice. Why? Because you've always sacrificed yourself for me. It's a stupid, idiotic, dunderheaded move you always make. You put me first above yourself all the damn time. It pisses me off because I'm not used to that, but it's something you do and I've had to come to terms with it. So for once in your life, woman, do not do what is right and sacrifice yourself for me. Save yourself. Like I'm trying to do with you."

"It'll be all right, Severus."

"You don't know that," he replied, enunciating each word slowly as if to beat the point in.

"I'm not going to take the coward's way. I did wrong, and now I have to pay for it. Simple as that. Me fighting it won't make this any better for any of us."

"She's right, you know?" Shacklebolt stated, interjecting. "The Ministry would look more favorable on her if she turned herself in than if she ran away from it. We could likely strike a plea deal."

Snape's head whipped towards the Minister. "You won't even entertain the idea of burying all this?" His eyes narrowed. "You owe me, Kingsley." Oh, dear Merlin above did everyone owe him.

"I didn't say that. It's just it would be difficult to bury the attacks, especially with Narcissa Malfoy out for blood, Severus."

"As she should be," Aurora stated with a sigh. "I killed her husband."

Snape couldn't hold back his temper any longer. He waved his hand angrily at his wife, casting a Silencing spell on her instantly. That was more than enough of her being Little Miss Goody-Two-Shoes than he could handle at the moment. He did not need to hear her agreeing as Kingsley practically threw her in Azkaban as it was. He pointedly ignored his wife when she realized what he had done.

Shacklebolt sighed, rubbing his head. "I know you don't like it, Snape, but it _is_ the best option for her. Unless you want to live always looking over your shoulder for the day the Aurors figure it out." He closed his eyes before speaking again. "I'd put her in solitary confinement, away from the other prisoners. You have my word. And at the slightest bit of trouble with her pregnancy, she'd be moved to St. Mungo's until the child was born."

"She's not a criminal," Snape firmly said. Compared to his crimes, she had a long way to go before she was as dark as he was.

"I know," Shacklebolt replied quietly. "And hopefully the Wizengamot agrees. But we have to take her in now, while there is still a chance that we can work it out."

Glancing at his wife, Snape could hear Dumbledore's long-ago words during the memorial for Cedric Diggory. _Remember, if the time should come when you have to make a choice between what is right and what is easy, remember what happened to a boy who was good, and kind, and brave, because he strayed across the path of Lord Voldemort (GOF 724)._ The situation was different, of course. The Dark Lord had been dead and gone for good for five years. But here before them was that same choice.

Snape himself had made one between what was right and what was easy when he took up being Dumbledore's spy all those years ago. He clearly had taken the 'what was right' path, the one his wife _always_ took. The difficult road that was less traveled. He sighed heavily. It would be so easy to run, to hide her away and protect her just so he'd know she was safe from harm. Running was something he had done the majority of his life, so he'd be able to help her do that. But what was right he knew was turning herself in and accepting her fate.

When he felt her hand slip into his and squeeze it, he glanced at her. How could she be so calm about this? She was headed for Azkaban for certain. Experience had taught him that life held no guarantees. She could turn herself in and still not get a plea or any help whatsoever.

He cursed Dumbledore in his mind with every nasty word he could think of. It may have been her choice, but Snape knew how Dumbledore operated. Aurora had shown her weakness blindly, and Dumbledore exploited it for his gain. He was no different from the Dark Lord really. Puppet masters, the both of them. Anytime Severus's resolve weakened and he thought about walking away, Dumbledore would casually mention Lily's name. He had no doubt that Aurora was the same, just having to hear Severus's name instead obviously, and she'd bend over backwards then for him.

With no hesitation in his mind, he knew he would stay by her side through this, as she had done for him. He'd admit that it hurt learning that his wife had been the one to stab him in the back, but he could understand why with a Vow hanging over her head. No, he was more upset that she hadn't trust him enough to tell him about it than the actual stabbing surprisingly. He would be with her. Always.

**A/N: **I may do another chapter like an epilogue, but I'm not sure yet. I sort of like leaving it up to you readers about how this ends. Tell me your thoughts.


	9. Necessary Evil

**A/N:** First off, I'm amazed no one pointed out my stupid math error. :) I've fixed Angel's age to the correct one. She's now five, since she was born May 2, 1998. Figured this out on the very last chapter, so that shows you how awesome I am at math. ;) Secondly, this story didn't turn out the way I had thought it would at the beginning I admit, but I'm satisfied with how it did work out. Third, I've clearly been watching way too many crime dramas lately, so it'll show in this chapter. :D Enjoy.

**Necessary Evil**

Much to his discontent, Aurora had pled guilty to his stabbing and all of the murders. He nearly needed to be restrained when he heard her guilty plea in front of the full Wizengamot. How could she do that? How could she admit her guilt in front of everyone and seem so damn calm? She was going to get herself locked away forever. Or worse. Did he and Angel mean so little to her that she didn't care how it'd affect them? He sighed at that thought. No. He knew she cared about them. She loved him and Angel more than life itself. Just doing the right thing was something drilled into her very psyche, an instinct he couldn't talk her into going against.

As he stood in the waiting area of Azkaban three months after being stabbed in the back, he closed his eyes, recalling her attorney informing him that the following day was the last day in her sentencing phase, a day she'd be allowed to testify in her own defense if she wanted. Her chances now were slim at receiving no time. At the very least it'd be ten years according to the attorney. Ten years without her? He couldn't imagine that. Their daughter would be a fourth- or fifth-year at Hogwarts then. Not to mention that he'd be raising their kids alone, regardless of all the help his mother had offered for him. It was beyond all comprehension to him. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. Not anymore.

He barely acknowledged the guard who patted him down to check him for any prohibited items. Nothing was found of course. He hardly even noticed his own actions soon after as he handed over his ebony wand for them to hold onto while he was there. He was completely on autopilot. He had been all week with his wife now having been locked up in Azkaban, leaving him alone once more.

When the door suddenly swung open, Snape took a step back and sighed. He caught the other man's sad green eyes and glanced away. He didn't need Potter's pity. Not today.

"Ready for your conjugal visit, sir?" Harry asked politely.

Snape's eyes snapped towards him, glaring at him murderously. The urge to choke the little twerp was great right then. "No," he hissed, his jaw clenched tightly. "I'm here to talk with my wife."

Harry nodded, seemingly oblivious to Snape's outrage. He held the door open and allowed him inside. They walked down the long black corridor past the locked doors that held the other prisoners.

"We've got the room all ready for you two. When you're finished, just knock and we'll let you out," Harry explained. "I guess all that's left is to tell you that the room's been thoroughly cleaned with intense disinfectant charms for obvious reasons. And, well, you don't need to worry about us listening at the door either, sir. There are privacy charms on the room to keep us from hearing anything or seeing. You can check for yourself, of course. The charms are something we recently installed for couples. To give couples more privacy during those intimate moments."

Snape gnawed his teeth. It was difficult to keep from throttling Potter. The only reason he didn't was because Potter was an Auror, a fact Snape kept reminding himself. Felix Felicis, why didn't the little brat understand that he wasn't there to have sex, but instead to talk with his wife? He growled when Potter suddenly held his arm out to stop him from going any further.

"There are condoms in the room if you need them, sir. Anything else, just knock. You get about an hour in this room, so make the most of it," Harry stated, forcing a smile before opening the door.

Snape opened his mouth to snarl at Potter when he heard the sound of a mattress spring popping inside the room. He frowned and quickly brushed past the green-eyed Auror. He'd deal with the twerp later. After he spoke with his wife.

Stepping into the small prison room, he heard the door hiss shut behind him a moment later. He felt his heart sink slightly before he shook it off. His eyes quickly found his wife sitting on the cot and sighed. He hated seeing her in here. She didn't deserve Azkaban at all. The Dark Lord, Bellatrix, Rodolphus, Greyback, Scabior, Umbridge, Lucius, himself—they deserved Azkaban, not her.

"A conjugal visit, _really_, Severus?" Aurora said with a soft laugh. "You miss me so badly that you'd be willing to sleep with me in here?"

He exhaled to keep from losing his temper. He truly was going to murder that brat later. However, he shook his head and slowly sat down beside her on the small cot. She was four months pregnant and here. His hand found hers soon after, the tension quickly leaving his body because of this.

"I assure you that this was not my idea. I'm quite aware that's the last thing on either of our minds right now," he stated quietly. He watched her bring their joined hands to her lips before she kissed the back of his hand. "How are you today?"

"Good. I'm a little nauseated still, but not as bad as before. I've been resting mostly."

He nodded. "I'm glad." And he was. This whole week she had been in Azkaban, he had heard how violently ill she was. It had concerned him greatly. However, from Pomfrey who was using her sources inside here, he knew that his wife's sickness was solely due to their unborn child and that the healers of Azkaban were keeping a close eye on her.

"So . . ." She gave a short laugh.

"Indeed." The silence quickly fell over them again. He sighed several moments later, shaking his head. They needed to talk. He needed to convey how much he needed her to fight during her sentencing phase. To tell the Wizengamot about Dumbledore's stupid vow. But the words wouldn't leave his throat. So there they sat, next to each, shoulder-to-shoulder.

"How's our little Angel?"

He shrugged, unable to help it. "She still refuses to talk with me." In fact, whenever he'd come near his daughter now, she'd turn away from him and wrap her arms around herself protectively. He hated to admit it, but it hurt each time he saw Angel do that. It felt like another stab in the back.

"Give her time. She'll come around soon, and you'll be her amazing daddy once more."

"Unfortunately, I have to disagree with that," he replied with a heavy sigh.

"You didn't do anything wrong, Severus. I did."

"Our daughter disagrees."

"She doesn't understand. All she knows right now is that I'm not there. She's likely trying to wrap her head around everything, trying to figure out if _she_ did something wrong. Children tend to take it personally when their worlds change drastically."

He glanced at his wife and frowned. "I've informed her about what's going on, so she understands more than you think. Currently, she's upset with me because I didn't stop you. I let you turn yourself in and let you be taken from us. Her words."

"I'm sorry." She gave his hand a gently squeeze, rubbing her thumb against the back of his hand. "Don't take it to heart, love. She's only five. We may treat her like an adult, but she's still just a child."

"How can you be so damn calm about this?" He scoffed, pulling his hand back before he stood up and paced in front of her. "Do you even understand what this means? You pled guilty. Guilty!"

"Yes, because I am. I killed them. Contesting it would only bring further pain."

"To whom? Us or them?" He clenched his jaw, still pacing. "Honestly, woman," he grumbled. "I should've chained you up in the dungeons all those years ago."

She laughed rather quietly. "As if they would have held me," she teased, watching him walk back and forth in front of her. "What's done is done. We can't do anything about it now."

"Ten years, Aurora! That's what you're facing. And that's just the minimum sentence."

"I know. And it's life if they choose the maximum. My attorney informed me of all of this."

"Then you understand that you have to go in there tomorrow and fight this. You can't just sit back and let them give you the maximum." He sighed heavily before kneeling in front of her. "I need you to fight this, Aurora. Tell them about the vow. Tell them why you did it."

"It won't change anything."

"Yes it will. Merlin, woman," he said rather annoyed. "Right now they think you snapped and killed all those Death Eaters in some sort of blood lust. Do you want our daughter to think that as well?"

"Severus," she started to say.

"No," he firmly replied, cutting her off. "You claim you love me, right? Well, prove it to me tomorrow. Take the stand in your own defense. Tell them what you told me. Tell them how Dumbledore manipulated you into accepting that vow. Tell them, Aurora. Otherwise, you're going to get the life sentence and never be allowed to see our children again." He grabbed her hands, kissing her fingertips gently. "Please. Screw doing the right thing for one time, and do this for us. You don't belong in here, and you know it. You were blackmailed into killing them. You had two options: kill them or break the vow and die yourself. Please do this. Please. I am begging you, Aurora. Do this for us."

She closed her eyes before inclining her head slowly. "All right. I will."

He felt himself relax even more, relieved to hear those words from her lips. He didn't want to lose her. Ever. Lately, it felt like he so close to losing her that it made him physically ache. She was going to try now. Not just sit there and accept her unjustified punishment in his mind. That was all he needed. To know that she was trying to fight for them finally. He stood up and kissed the top of her head before working his way down her face with gentle kisses.

"Thank you," he whispered against her lips a moment later.

"You should go. Angel's probably missing you, and I need to rest before tomorrow."

He nodded slowly, giving her hands a final squeeze of strength before walking to the door and knocking. His heart thumped loudly in his ears as he waited for the door to open. He hated leaving her here, but what else could he do? The Wizengamot had denied her petition to be under house arrest, having cited that she was an obvious flight risk.

When the door opened soon after, he closed his eyes and stepped out. He glanced at the guard walking past him with the familiar chains she had been forced to wear in the Ministry. He didn't dare look back, knowing that seeing her now would hurt like hell as he left. He silently followed another guard to the waiting area, collecting his wand from the bin several moments later.

He had nearly reached the exit when he heard Potter's voice.

"Visit went well, I take it?"

Snape stopped in mid-step and whirled towards the green-eyed Auror. His eye twitched as he held his temper back by a mere strand of will. He desperately wished to throttle the other man to death.

"Look. I know it doesn't make up for all the times you saved me, sir, but it was the best I could do to give you two more privacy while you talked. Plus, protocol for conjugal visits says that couples get an hour alone, whereas it's ten minutes in the common area," Harry explained, holding his hands up. "I'm sorry I made it seem like you were there for that sort of visit, but I was trying to help without the others knowing what was really going on."

Snape's black eyes narrowed. Potter's brilliant idea to pay him back for all the times he saved the brat's life was to act like Snape was there for a conjugal visit just so he could talk to Aurora longer?

"Congratulations, Potter. You've surpassed all other idiots in the world." Snape swiftly left then.

The following morning, when Snape woke up extra early in his small cottage, he quickly dressed in his usual formidable black robes, making certain he wore his wedding ring before leaving his bedroom. He then checked on his daughter and glanced into her room, sighing when she turned her back to him instantly. He shook his head before he took a step in.

"I know you're mad at me, my Angel," he started to say quietly. "You must understand, though." He sighed, running a hand through his hair as he thought of his next words for a moment. "While I love her immensely, your mother can be a stubborn dunderhead some days. Like me. However, she was doing what she thought was right, and I supported her." He paused before the words flowed out of his mouth. "Even though it was the entirely wrong thing to do and I shouldn't have," he added. "However, part of my job as her husband is to support her."

"Even though she hurt you?" his little girl asked, turning to him while biting her bottom lip. She looked so much like her mother when she did this.

"Yes. Even though she hurt me," he replied. "Because I know in my heart that she didn't want to hurt me but that she had to because she didn't have another option. She had to hurt me to make sure she didn't get hurt."

"I thought it was 'cause she didn't want Hawy and others to think you were bad?"

He snorted. "That too."

"Daddy?"

"Yes?"

"Does Mummy love us?"

He instantly picked his little girl up, feeling her wrap her arms around his neck within seconds. "Your mummy loves us with all her heart. She just gets a little blind sometimes and doesn't think about how her actions will affect us—because all she sees is the fact that she did something wrong."

"Mummy's too hard on herself," his daughter commented, producing a laugh from her father.

"That she is, my Angel. That she is." He kissed her cheek. "Let's go see Mummy, all right?" Father and daughter then left the cottage soon after by Apparation, heading to the Ministry.

* * *

After the last character witness had been called, Minister Shacklebolt peered over his podium at Aurora, who sat quietly in her chains that kept her movement restricted to only the hard defendant chair. He cleared his throat, all eyes on him once more. He gave her a faint polite smile. They had always been on friendly terms. In fact, he had even asked her out on a date once around the whole Umbridge disaster saga. She had politely declined of course, her heart having already been given to Severus.

"Professor Sinistra?" Minister Shacklebolt announced. "If you have anything you'd like to say to the court, now is the time to say it."

She nodded slowly, starting to rise before quickly sitting back down when the chains wouldn't allow her to stand. She sighed quietly and brushed back her long messy curls from her face. All throughout the day, she had watched her coworkers take the stand and testify. She had tried to concentrate on their words, but found it increasingly difficult to do so for some reason. She ended up blaming her inability to understand on the pounding headache she had woken up with that morning. She swallowed and opened her mouth.

"Thank you, Minister." She sounded weak and tired, she noticed. She certainly felt that way as well. It was as if someone had taken all her energy from her and left her just as an empty shell. Her eyes narrowed when she felt her attorney slowly help her stand, the chains allowing her movement this time. She assumed that the spell likely was lifted temporarily. She closed her eyes and drew in a slow, steadying breath. The room felt as if it was swaying now. Or perhaps that was her? She wasn't certain anymore. The only thing she was certain of was that she felt like utter crap.

"Anytime you're ready, Professor," gently urged another Wizengamot official.

"I apologize," she rasped, drawing in a shaky breath. She forced a faint smile to her pale lips. "I'm not exactly feeling the greatest right now, but I'll try to power through it and not waste any more of your time." She drew in another breath, swallowing back another wave of nausea. She felt her attorney quickly and gently grab her arm to steady her, glancing at him and noting his sudden concern for her. It was just damn pregnancy sickness. That was all it was. No need to waste everyone's time fussing.

* * *

Watching his wife from the closest bench to her, Snape's eyes narrowed as she dangerously swayed while standing. He could tell by the nervous energy in his daughter, who kept moving on his lap every two seconds, that she had noticed it too. Something was wrong with Aurora.

Turning his head to the right, he glanced at Poppy Pomfrey. He could see her wand already in hand as she ran a discreet diagnostic spell on Aurora. His frown deepened as he turned back to his wife.

"Was she this ill when she was pregnant with Angel?" Minerva McGonagall asked from his left side. The concern was clearly etched in her voice.

He shook his head slowly. "No. She'd sick up every now and then, but I'd usually give her a potion to help."

"I don't like the look of her at all."

Neither did Snape for that matter. She was absolutely flushed from head to toe with little white blotchy patches every now and then on her skin. The sheen of sweat that ran down her face practically showed how much heat she was radiating off with. She was still swaying like a tree in a gentle wind, forcing her to grab the chair every now and then to balance herself. But most of all he could hear her words starting to slur together, as if she had drank an entire bottle of the potent fairy ice in one sitting.

"Poppy, have you found anything yet?" McGonagall urged.

The matron shook her head and kept pointing her hidden wand at Aurora. Snape could feel his insides knot painfully. What was going on? Clearly the Wizengamot was noticing how ill she was. Why weren't they taking a break? Of course he knew that answer actually. The majority of them had already convicted her in their minds to a lifetime in Azkaban.

"Minister!" a loud voice suddenly yelled from the opposite side of the room from Snape.

His eyes darted instantly, trying to find the person who had interrupted his wife as she admitted to being pregnant again. When he found Narcissa Malfoy standing a moment later, he briefly closed his eyes and sighed. Of course she'd take issue with Aurora's version. Narcissa was still grieving for the loss of her husband. He couldn't imagine how painful it'd be for her to hear Aurora state that she had killed him solely for being on a stupid list and that Aurora had had no choice in the matter.

"I request a recess _now_!" Narcissa screeched, clearly panicked now by something.

"Mrs. Malfoy, please sit down," Shacklebolt calmly replied to her, seemingly understanding of her sudden distress.

"Respectfully, Minister, I can't do that," she cried back, her eyes darting to Aurora. "We need to take her to St. Mungo's this moment!"

Snape started instantly, feeling his mouth drop. _What_? He heard a gasp from Pomfrey and turned towards her. What on earth was going on? Why the hell was Narcissa caring about Aurora's welfare? That didn't seem like something a woman would do for her husband's killer.

"On what grounds, Mrs. Malfoy?" Shacklebolt slowly asked, clearly intrigued as well.

"I have reason to believe that she's been poisoned, Minister," Narcissa announced, trembling slightly. She looked downright scared to death.

On pure instinct, Snape hopped up at the word 'poison.' He quickly handed his daughter to McGonagall before he jumped over the railing that separated the audience from the defendant's chair. He brushed past one of the guards and dove when he noticed Aurora start to fall forward towards the stone floor. As he caught her, he felt his heart stop. His eyes met hers, seeing the slight reddish tint in them. He'd have gladly taken any poison but that one. He heard Aurora's slight gasp as he took the brunt of the impact as they hit the floor together.

_Please,_ he begged in his mind. _Not her._

At the feel of her convulsing against him a moment later, he swallowed back his emotions. He wouldn't lose her. He wouldn't lose another woman he loved. Not again. His heart couldn't bear another heartbreak. He'd break for certain. He felt the others quickly gather around them, hearing their intense whispers. A hand rested then on his shoulder before he felt the sickening feel of a quick side-along Apparation. Hands quickly pulled Aurora away from him, causing him to try to reach for her again. However, arms wrapped around him and pulled him back from her.

"Aurora!" he yelled, watching the healers disappear with her behind a closed door. "No . . ."

For several hours, Snape paced to and from in the waiting room, his head snapping to the door whenever it opened to allow a healer to speak with another family. What was going on? Was Aurora all right? Had they gotten to her in time? So many questions filled his mind.

"Will you stop pacing? It ain't doing no good anyway," Tobias mumbled as he sat next to Angel.

Snape tensed when he heard his father behind him, but he didn't listen. He kept pacing instead, since it was the only thing that was keeping him from finding his wife himself. Clenching his jaw, he drew in several deep breaths. His mind was playing tricks on him every now and then, bringing up the image of her reddish eyes. That image unsettled him most of all. Poison, especially that one, was always deadly. It was a very old poison, so it'd be rare for someone to know it offhand. If he recalled correctly, that particular poison was discovered around Merlin's time.

As the door to St. Mungo's waiting room opened again, his head turned to it. He tensed instantly at the sight of the person walking in. Only the knowledge of his daughter being there in the room with him kept him from lashing out at Narcissa as she slowly entered.

"How?" he demanded in his deadliest voice.

"A note," the blond answered somberly. "It was passed to me in the courtroom. The moment I saw it, I spoke out. She may have killed Lucius, but I don't want that sort of revenge for his death. I swear it, Severus."

Snape frowned deeply before he grabbed the note she held out to him. He silently unfolded it and read the words 'Justice served' that had been written sloppily on the badly aged parchment. He growled under his breath and shook his head.

"You only needed two words to realize she was poisoned?" It smelled fishy to him. There had to be more to it than just that. Narcissa may have been a superb healer, but she wasn't that amazing.

"Since Lucius's death, I've had numerous people show their support to me. All sorts of people, Severus." Narcissa closed her eyes, hanging her head. "I was angry with her when I learned that it was Aurora who had killed him. She had taken the only man I had ever loved from me. Taken my son's father, my husband. I wanted her to pay for what she had done. And I said as much."

He clenched his jaw, but remained silent. Narcissa had likely been overcome with grief, not realizing at the time that some moron would take it upon him- or herself to avenge all the deaths.

"Then the trial started, and she pled guilty. She didn't even try to fight it. You saw that as I did," Narcissa continued quietly, rambling somewhat. Clearly she felt like she needed to get everything out, though. "I don't know how to explain it. It confused me. I had been so angry, so consumed with hatred for her. Yet when she admitted her guilt, stood up there and stated that she was sorry for all the pain she had caused and how she hoped that we would find peace now with the knowledge that she would be properly punished for her crimes, I-I didn't want to think then. She didn't sound like the cold-blooded killer I had made her up to be in my mind." She paused for a moment. "I could hear her genuine sadness, that she _was_ sorry."

His eyes narrowed on Narcissa. He felt slightly puzzled himself now. Yes, Aurora was genuine with her apology, but he hadn't expected Narcissa to be so quick to accept his wife's apology. It seemed almost unreal to him to consider it even.

"She was accepting her fate, not fighting it." The blond woman drew in a shuddered breath. "No mother wants to be away from her child that long. Not willingly. So, why was it then that Aurora killed all these Death Eaters, knowing that she likely would be caught someday and taken from her daughter? Why was it that she hurt you, Severus? A man she so obviously loves with every bit of her heart. I started to ask myself all those questions during the trial because I started to realize that it didn't make sense anymore. The pieces weren't fitting the puzzle. Today I finally realized what those answers were, Severus. Like me, she had been forced to do things, terrible things, for her family. For you."

"I don't understand."

"Oh, I loved him, Severus. I truly did. But I realized quickly that I had married a monster. He brought me before the Dark Lord to ask permission for us to marry. You recall that foolish rule, I'd imagine." She laughed shortly, clearly disgusted. "My sister was quite giddy with excitement. She was so proud that I was engaged to a Death Eater. Bella told me that everything would be wonderful once I was wed to Lucius." Her voice hardened into ice. "To celebrate our marriage, I witnessed my sister, my brother-in-law, and my husband murder an entire Muggle family. I saw the monster in Lucius, the evil in him as he tortured a little girl who begged him to stop." She trembled slightly. "When Lucius and I returned to the manor later, I asked him why. Do you know what his response was?" She laughed harshly when he shook his head. "Because I have to, Cissy."

She was rambling from one subject to another. He listened, though, moving her thoughts around in his mind so it'd make sense to him. It took some definite concentration to do this, but even then it was only making half sense to him.

"I didn't understand at first," she said. "I had always believed that there was always a choice. I believed that until the day came when the Dark Lord presented me with a Muggle. He wanted to test me, make sure that I was worthy of Lucius. I couldn't raise my wand at first against the cowering woman. She was pregnant just as I was. I wasn't like Lucius, like my sister. But the moment I heard my husband's screams, I realized what Lucius had meant on our wedding night. When it came to those you love being safe, you don't get a choice. You do whatever you have to for them and for yourself. I killed that woman and her unborn child that night, Severus, just so my husband would live. And I didn't give a single thought to it at the time. How wretched it was."

"Narcissa—"

"The Dark Lord knew that if he hurt Lucius, I would do whatever he asked of me without any questions or dissent of any kind. He owned us, Severus. And if what Mr. Potter has said about Albus Dumbledore is true, Dumbledore owned you and Aurora just like the Dark Lord owned Lucius and me."

He sighed inwardly. He was grateful that Narcissa had figured that out, but he still didn't understand what that had to do with Aurora being poisoned and how Narcissa knew it for certain.

"I have a feeling she was starting to say that before she collapsed." She held up a hand and cut him off before he could say anything. "You must understand. I loved him, Severus. I truly did," she repeated once more, as if she was trying to convince herself now. "But Dumbledore was right. Lucius and the others would return to their old ways. Oh, I had watched him over these past few years and saw what I had seen before after the Dark Lord had been defeated the first time. Lucius was biding his time until the right moment."

Snape blinked as he stared at her in complete shock. If what she was saying was true, then . . .

"Before you arrived in the graveyard, the Dark Lord gave orders that night after that Hufflepuff boy and Potter returned to Hogwarts. He wanted to strike fear in the public's hearts, Severus. So, his remaining followers would rise up every now and then and attack the public in his name. They had been so brainwashed that they believed his lies, believed that if they did it enough times that the Dark Lord would return to them again. Lucius bought it, so he waited for his moment." She closed her eyes. "I knew all this when I learned that Lucius had been killed. I knew that every single Death Eater that she had killed was part of the group instructed to carry out the Dark Lord's last wishes. You see, Severus, I-I had given Dumbledore the names before he had died. He didn't know it was me, of course, but I gave it to him. I just wanted it to be over with. I just wanted my family to be whole again. I didn't know what Dumbledore would do with the names. I couldn't really."

"If you knew, then you—"

"Could have spoken up on Aurora's behalf?" she offered. "It had crossed my mind, I admit, but I couldn't get past my heartbreak and my confusion. It didn't make sense to me, Severus. None of it did until today." She sighed, shaking her head. "When I read that note today and stood up to interrupt, my hate-filled words echoed in my head."

"What words?" he asked.

"The only way justice would be served is if she took a bit of her own poison."

He closed his eyes. "Who did you tell that to, Narcissa?" He glanced at her.

"One of Draco's old schoolmates. I can't recall his name exactly. He was there with his wife, though. Pansy Parkinson."

"Theodore Nott," a low voice spoke up quietly. "He married her, Mother."

Snape glanced at his godson, watching the younger man slowly approach with Harry by his side. Both men were in their Auror uniforms. He could see the resigned sadness in Draco's gray eyes.

"He'd certainly have access to her food," Harry stated. He turned towards Draco. They both nodded at one another before they Disapparated from the area.

"I'm sorry, Severus," Narcissa softly whispered.

"You didn't poison her," he replied, exhaling loudly before rubbing his face. Merlin, his back was acting up again. Then again, he recalled Pomfrey's words. He wasn't supposed to be gallivanting about the countryside that quickly. It had only been three months since his stabbing. His muscles were still healing, yet there he was standing and pacing and doing whatever.

The door opened once more, causing him to glance at it. His eyes narrowed when he watched a healer walking towards him. Maybe this time the healer was for him.

"Headmaster Snape?" a tall, sandy-blond haired man asked.

"Yes?"

"I'm Healer Reynolds." He gave Snape a forced polite smile. "Your wife and unborn child are doing just fine now."

"You neutralized the poison?" When Reynolds blinked, Snape's eyes narrowed on him. "She was showing signs of a rare type of poison called—"

"She may have been showing similar signs, but we found no poison in her system, sir. Your wife was suffering from acute appendicitis." He shrugged. "It's a common occurrence in pregnant women."

"Appendicitis?" Snape repeated quietly, staring at the man in disbelief.

"Yes."

"Her eyes were reddish, though."

The healer blinked a few times before he shook his head. "Well, if that was the case, what you likely saw was her eyes being bloodshot, sir. Her fever _was_ dangerously high."

"The seizure?"

"We're not exactly certain why she suffered it. Sometimes pregnancy messes with the body drastically. She may have just had a random misfire in the brain. We're not certain. We're keeping an eye on her and the baby, though."

"She's fine?" He couldn't believe it. His wife and unborn child were fine.

"She's a little groggy, but she's perfectly fine. Both of them are. You can see them if you'd like."

Snape closed his eyes, sighing in relief. Appendicitis? _Truly_? Of all the damn things in the world, she'd end up with that. When he felt a hand on his upper arm, he turned and glanced at Narcissa.

"I'll inform the Wizengamot what I told you. About Lucius and the others." She sighed softly, clearly uneasy about all of this. "It may not help her any. However, if I'm right and she was like me—blackmailed into committing these crimes, then she's a victim in it just as you are."

"Thank you," Snape replied. Frankly, he and Aurora needed all the help they could get at this point. His wife truly didn't deserve a lifetime in Azkaban. She may have murdered the other Death Eaters, but so would have the Aurors eventually. Disregarding the fact that life wasn't fair of course, he could only think on the fact that it truly wasn't fair that he was free and absolved of all his terrible crimes while she was stuck in there for a few murders.

When Snape had been a Death Eater, a true one, he had committed horrendous crimes in the Dark Lord's name. He had stood by and watched the others violate their victims in sickening ways. He had participated in the dreaded Muggle Hunts, not discriminating from whom he killed. He had helped the others sometimes, assisted in the torturing. He had given information that had led to the extermination of many prominent families. And for what reason did he have to commit such vile crimes? It was all to have a sense of belonging.

Having the hindsight he did now, Snape realized how stupid and pathetic that reason was. He had parents that loved him. Not the perfect family life, of course, but his parents did what they could for him. Had he not been so blind at the time, so convinced that the world sucked, he'd have seen that he had a sense of belonging on Spinner's End with his parents. That he _was_ loved by them. But all he truly saw at the time was pain and despair. He was such a dunderhead.

"Daddy!" his little girl cried, running to him after breaking free from her grandfather's hold.

Snape instantly scooped her up into his arms and held her against him. He shushed her and gently brushed back her long blond curls. His family was fine. Safe. For now, he reminded himself. He turned back towards Healer Reynolds, thankful that the man understood that they'd follow him.

Several minutes later when the door to Aurora's private room opened, Snape walked in with Angel still in his arms, squirming around as she tried like mad to get a better view. He inclined his head when Reynolds silently left them alone with her.

"Shh, Daddy. Mummy's sleeping," his daughter whispered in his ear.

He couldn't hold back his smile. Sometimes his daughter was too cute for words. He slowly set Angel down in one of the nearby chairs, pulling another chair next to her before sitting down as well. His eyes slowly trailed down his wife's prone form, noting the relaxed look on her face. He sighed quietly and leaned forward, grabbing Aurora's hand. They would wait for her to wake up. They certainly had all the time in the world right then.

His mind wandered to his wife's trial as he waited. She had pled guilty to his aggravated assault and the nine other counts of homicide. The Wizengamot had dropped the other charges concerning torture earlier, stating that in several cases it was not clear if Aurora had caused the injuries or if the young female kidnapping victims who had been found with the castrated men had. In his mind, he assumed that the Aurors just didn't really want to investigate that part too intently. He knew that his testifying on her behalf had helped muddy the waters concerning the charge of his aggravated assault. However, the other nine counts against her held more weight than his charge.

"They were bad people, though, Daddy," his daughter softly said, interrupting his thoughts and gaining his attention immediately.

He snorted, shaking his head. "What have we said about that?"

"Not to," she answered with her head hung. "But it's true, though."

"They may have been bad people, but there's a rule that we all have to follow that says what she did was bad too."

"It's a stupid rule."

"In some cases," he agreed thinking of the Dark Lord and how it wasn't bad to kill him. "But we can't pick and choose what rules we want to follow, though. Otherwise, it'd be a free for all."

"But Mummy was just doing what she was told to do."

"I know that, and you know that. Sometimes, though, people tell you to do really bad things that you shouldn't do because they're wrong and it could hurt people."

"Is Mummy bad then?"

"No. She's just a little white and a little black now."

"So she's gray?" Angel said, screwing her face up as she thought of what the two colors made.

He couldn't hold back his chuckle. He still couldn't believe even after five years of being her father that he was could father someone so adorably sweet. She clearly inherited a lot of her mother in his opinion.

"Yes. She's a gray now. And gray is just fine. The world's not as black and white as people like to make it out to be." He caught his daughter's eyes narrow, knowing that she was going to ask some off-the-wall thing. "I'll explain it when you're older, my Angel."

"Kay." His little girl shrugged before she turned back to her mother. "Daddy?"

"Yes?"

"Do they know Mummy's gray now? Or should we send them an owl and tell them that?"

"That's what they're deciding." It was the truth in a way. The Wizengamot was deciding if Aurora was Dark Lord-evil or if she was just First war Ludo Bagman-evil. She had been misguided clearly like Ludo had been, but she hadn't enjoyed killing the others like the Dark Lord.

"Daddy?"

He closed his eyes. It was going to be one of those days of twenty questions. He could tell it already. He glanced at her and waited.

"What's a necessary evil?"

His brow rose. Now there was a term she clearly plucked from someone's mind. "It's when someone does something bad but does it to make sure something happens."

"Oh." His little girl was quiet for a few minutes, picking at her dress before glancing at him again. "Daddy?"

He sighed. "Yes?"

"That's what Mummy did, isn't it?"

"You could say that, yes." He watched his daughter's smile overtake her face. "Why?"

"Cause they were thinking it today before Mummy was talking to them. That was what they were wondering about. If it was what Mummy did. Sort of like when you were trying to know why Mummy stabbed you and if you were all wrong about her."

He shook his head. "We are seriously going to need to do something about your magic soon," he remarked. It was downright scary to hear his daughter plucking people's thoughts from them so easily. But his mother had warned him that when he had been around his daughter's age that he was just like Angel was at times. According to Eileen, Angel would wear herself out after a bit and stop using it just as he had. He was still waiting for that to happen with his daughter.

"That's good, though, right?" his daughter asked, clearly ignoring her father's remark. "Cause they'll see that Mummy did what she had to do just like that. Unless they're the usual duh heads."

He snorted. She clearly had listened to his start-of-the-year speeches too much. When he watched his daughter pull herself up and start to crawl up into her mother's cot, he stood up and quickly grabbed her before she could reach Aurora.

"Daddy!" she squealed, squirming in his arms.

"No. Your mother just had surgery." He sat down with her on his lap, watching Angel cross her arms soon after. "She needs to rest now. So we're going to just let her, okay?" He caught his daughter's huff and raised his brow further at her.

"Fine. But I don't like this."

"Of course you don't, brat," he quietly drawled, noticing her eye roll. His daughter seriously took after them too much. He pulled her closer and held her, waiting silently. He hoped Angel was right about the Wizengamot coming to the same conclusion that he had—that the murders were a necessary evil. Narcissa's evidence would clearly help make that case, but he knew that at the end of the day Aurora had pled guilty. They had to give her some form of punishment then. The question remained, though, just how long it would be.

* * *

It was nearly nine o'clock the next morning when he caught his wife's first movement. He heard his daughter's soft gasp, knowing that she had seen it as well. Slowly, he leaned forward—still holding onto Angel—and squeezed Aurora's hand. He smiled faintly when he felt the responding squeeze.

"Good morning," he quietly whispered, watching his wife's head lull to the side so she could look at them.

"Where am I?" Aurora asked groggily.

"St. Mungo's." He watched her nod in understanding. "The healers had to perform surgery on you to remove your appendix yesterday. You and the baby are just fine now I'm told."

"The Wizengamot?"

"I don't know," he sighed, feeling the cold splash of reality again. Of course she'd bring them up right away. Her life hung in the balance so to speak. "I know there are two Aurors outside of the room, and that they've placed a tracking spell on both of us." He saw her nod again and squeezed her hand once more as if to convince her that everything would be all right.

"Can't get too far, then, can we?" Aurora teased with a weak smile.

"So it would seem." He cleared his throat when Angel squirmed a little more in hopes that she'd reach her mother once more. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired, sore," his wife replied before her eyes glanced towards the door as there was a sharp knock on it. "Are we expecting anyone?"

"No." Her healer had already come to check on her earlier. He frowned and slowly turned to see the person walking in as well. "Potter." He couldn't keep the growl from his voice.

"Nice to see you too, sir," the young man replied dryly before his eyes darted to Aurora. "I have something for you." He strode forward with a rolled up parchment in hand. "Directly from the Minister of Magic himself," he announced with a half-smile as he held it out to her.

Snape's eyes narrowed. When he heard his wife's soft gasp, his eyes darted back to Potter.

"What is it?" He couldn't read his wife's face and Potter's wasn't giving anything off either strangely enough. Maybe the man finally did learn Occlumency after all.

"It's a note stating that her case was dismissed."

"How?" Aurora and Snape both asked simultaneously.

"The Wizengamot reached a deadlock. With your testimony defending her, it muddied the waters just like you thought it would. Then Narcissa Malfoy yesterday came forward a little later and informed them about her husband and the others' plans. Frankly, the other officials just ended up confused out of their minds. You admitted your guilt, but people like Snape and Narcissa and others were coming to defend you. Some of them said they couldn't in good conscience do it because you killed people who had murdered others with no remorse whereas you showed genuine remorse and understood you did wrong." Harry shrugged. "Others stated that it didn't matter who you killed because you still did it. In the end, they were deadlocked."

"That doesn't make sense, though."

"It does if you remember that most of them lost people in the war and that they aren't really objective no matter what they claim. If they were objective, well, you'd likely be in Azkaban, Professor. But they voted based on their hearts like always. Consider this your second chance." Harry smiled. "Just something you should keep in mind. You are, however, on probation. It was the only way the Minister could appease the dissenters who wanted to convict you. So, just, you know, don't kill anyone again, Professor," he half-joked.

"Thank you, Harry."

"No need," he replied, shaking his head. "I remember the manipulations I went through with Dumbledore. And I saw the ones that Headmaster Snape went through. I can understand why you made that vow. Keeping your loved ones safe is the most important thing in the world, and sometimes that forces you to make a deal with the devil." He smiled again, a thought clearly going through his mind. He slowly turned towards Snape. "Sometimes love makes us do things that we'd never do in a million years because it sucks, but we do it anyway for our love for them." He then inclined his head. "It was nice seeing you again, Professor, Headmaster." He turned a moment later and left the room quietly.

"He was talking about his mummy, wasn't he, Daddy? About how you kept him safe for her?"

"Yes he was."

"See? I didn't even need to use my magic for that one." Angel grinned proudly.

The little girl's parents laughed, shaking their heads in amusement.

"So," Snape started to say after a few moments had passed. "Are there any other deadly secrets I need to know? Like you have illegitimate children? Or is it going to take another stab in the back before I learn them all?" he asked sardonically.

"No. I think that's it," Aurora replied with an apologetic smile. "I am sorry, Severus."

"Save your apologies. I understand. Potter had that right at least. We know all too well the lengths the old man would use to get his way." He then sighed. "However, I should make you aware that you paid for my physical therapy. It was after all only fair considering."

"I see." She laughed, shaking her head. Perhaps it was the fact that they'd had a stressful past three months, but for some reason they were both finding their dark humor funny. "So just how much did your being stabbed in the back cost exactly?"

"A paycheck," he replied flatly. "Or two." He caught his wife's mouth dropping instantly. "Well, I did suffer extreme mental anguish, Aurora," he stated, forcing his face to remain neutral even though he wanted to smile. He hadn't truly used her paychecks, and he knew she likely knew that as well.

"_You_ suffered mental anguish? Oh, please. You've been getting those damn massages of yours every day for the past three months. _I'm_ the one who had to stab you on our anniversary."

"Yes, but you could have chose not to," he pointed out.

"Next time I will. Then how will you get your massages, hmm?"

"You two are weird," their daughter quietly said with a shake of her head, interrupting them.

Snape merely chuckled, though. He had to agree with Angel. His and Aurora's humor was in bad taste truthfully, but somehow he just didn't care. Maybe now all would be well for real. No more vows. No more manipulating Dumbledore. No more anything but the joys of family. He could get used to—

"Daddy, where do babies come from?" He closed his eyes instantly and hung his head.

**A/N:** Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed it.


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